Ramble On
by supernaturaldarkangel252018
Summary: Continuing adventures of Sam, Dean, and Alec. Part of the Family series.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey everyone! This is another part of the family series and follows Dust in the Wind so if you haven't read that one you will be lost for sure. This story is going to be smaller stories with the boys so it'll jump around more and it won't really be like the others. But I hope you all like it!_

* * *

"Alec, c'mon, let's go out. Go to a bar or a diner or something," Dean tried.

Alec slowly forced his eyes open, but then shook his head no. He knew what Dean was doing; he'd been doing it ever since he'd gotten hurt, but he was too tired. He didn't want to go anywhere and he didn't want to do anything. He thought he'd be able to get over being responsible for Hank and Link's deaths once they left Freak Valley, but it wasn't working. He had to force down food and he was always tired, so he slept all day. He'd felt a little better for a few days, but then it hit him again and when it did he just shut down.

He couldn't do much anyway since he was still healing. His collarbone was being held together by screws and since his ribs were still broken, even breathing hurt. Sam and Dean made sure he was taking his pills, but they made him sleepy too.

"Ok…" Dean muttered. "How 'bout we turn on the TV? I can order some pizza and we can look up some cases."

Alec sighed; he didn't want to do any of that, but Dean wouldn't stop unless he agreed to do something. "Fine…" Alec breathed out. He started to sit up, and a second later, Dean's hands were there to help. Dean was looking at him in concern, and he actually didn't have the energy to reassure him that he was ok.

"What kind of pizza do you want?" Sam suddenly asked from across the room. He had his phone in his hand and was already ordering.

"I don't care," Alec mumbled.

Sam went back to ordering while Dean grabbed the laptop and turned on the TV. "We don't have to look up cases if you don't want to," Dean said. "We can watch funny cat videos if that sounds more fun."

Alec rolled his eyes and cracked a small smile, "You're just sayin' that 'cause I'm part cat."

"And cats are funny," Dean said. "So, which one?"

"Let's just look up cases," Alec said. At least if they found a case then Sam and Dean would be busy and they could actually get back to helping people.

Dean started typing, and then scrolled through what looked like possible cases. Alec read through some of them, but he was tired again and the words were starting to blur together. He didn't even try to fight to stay awake. He leaned over and rested his head against Dean's shoulder. Luckily, Dean didn't make him wake back up. Instead, he shifted a little so he would be more comfortable.

He dozed for a while. He could smell the pizza once it got there, but Sam and Dean let him sleep. They would probably save him some so he could try to eat it later.

"Find anything?" Sam asked after a while.

Dean shrugged, but then froze. He waited a second, probably to see if he was going to wake up, before he said, "Possible spirit a couple hours from here."

"Dean…this isn't working," Sam said. "He's not getting better."

"Sam…"

"I know we thought getting him back on the road would help, but he's still not eating much and all he does is sleep," Sam said.

"I don't know what else to do," Dean admitted. "I've tried talking to him about it, but he doesn't want to. We've included him in as much as we could, but he doesn't want to do anything. I didn't want to hunt since he'd be left out, but what else can we do?"

"Maybe we should actually go on this hunt. It'd give him some time by himself and maybe it would help motivate him," Sam said.

"Yeah…He likes helping people…but it's gonna take a while for his collarbone to heal," Dean said.

"He's depressed, Dean."

"I know…"

He knew he was scaring Sam and Dean, and he'd tried to be ok for a while, but it was too much. He wished he knew how to make himself forget; he actually wished he was at Manticore. They knew how to make him forget, and then he could put himself back together later. He couldn't put himself back together until he forgot.

Dean's arm moved around him, and then he was being shifted down. A blanket covered him after a moment and Dean gently ruffled his hair before he walked across the room.

"We should leave in the morning…" Dean muttered.

* * *

"You gonna be ok by yourself for a while?" Dean asked, crouched down in front of him. Alec nodded even though Dean wasn't going to believe him. "If you need anything, just call us, ok?"

"Ok," Alec said.

"And there's food in the fridge if you get hungry," Sam said. "You just need to heat it up for a minute. Or you can order whatever you want. I'll even leave my money for you."

"I'll be fine," Alec said. "You should go."

"We don't have to go. We can call Bobby and get him on the case," Dean quickly said. "I don't want you to feel left out."

"Dean, I'm fine. You guys should hunt," Alec urged.

"Just promise that you'll call us if you need something," Sam said. "Anything at all, ok?"

"Ok, I promise," Alec grumbled. He was probably just going to sleep the whole time anyway.

Neither of his brothers looked happy about this, but they did eventually agree. Dean put his pills and some water right next to him and Sam got him the remote and an extra pillow and blanket if he needed it. Them helping him and taking care of him though, wasn't really helping. It really just made him feel worse. He didn't deserve their help.

"We'll be back pretty soon…you sure you're gonna be alright?" Dean asked him one more time.

"Yeah…" Alec whispered. Dean frowned since that hadn't been very convincing, so he quickly tried again, "I'll be fine. Just go kill this ghost or whatever."

Dean sighed, but eventually followed Sam out the door.

He tried to sleep once they were gone, but for the first time since everything happened he found that he couldn't. He was worried about his brothers. It was a simple hunt, but anything could go wrong. He tried to convince himself that they were fine, but his mind was running wild.

He wanted to call and check up on them, but he was afraid that he would mess up the hunt. Or they would freak out because he was calling and would stop hunting and run back. But it was storming and he didn't think Sam and Dean should be hunting in this weather. He didn't even know where they were hunting or if they were outside or if there was more than one ghost. He should've asked them before they left. He should call them.

He looked at his phone that was sitting next to his pills. All he had to do was reach out and press the 2 and he'd be talking to Dean in just a few seconds.

He stood up suddenly, but fell back onto the sofa. His vision had gone out when he'd stood up like that. He hadn't been moving much, and when he did move it was just really slow. But he thought moving might take his mind off of things.

Or he could just call and figure out what they were doing and how the hunt was going, and then maybe he could relax a little.

He gave in and snatched up his phone. He had Dean's number dialed and the phone to his ear within a second. He thought about hanging up before Dean could answer, but his older brother would immediately call back.

It only took two rings before Dean answered with a worried, "Alec? What's wrong?"

"Um nothing," Alec quickly replied. "Don't stop the hunt, ok?"

"Ok…What's up?" Dean asked, still uncertain.

"I just…where are you?"

"We're about two hours away, but I can make it a lot less if I need to."

"No, I mean, where's the hunt? Are you outside? Are you in an old house or a church or…what?"

Dean chuckled, "We're in a house, but I think we're gonna have to go outside."

"But it's raining," Alec pointed out. "You're wearing coats right?"

"Alec, we'll be fine," Dean said, a smile in his voice. "We've almost got it figured out, and then we just gotta find the grave."

"It's just one ghost, right?" Alec asked. "There's not secretly more than one that you're trying to keep from me, right?"

"There's just one, kiddo."

"And you're both ok?" Alec asked.

"Yeah, we're both ok. Are you ok?"

"Yeah…I just…I was freaking out…" Alec admitted.

"It's alright," Dean replied. "We'll be back soon, ok?"

He took a deep breath and tried to relax. "Ok…just, um, can you keep me updated?"

"Yeah, I'll keep ya updated," Dean promised. "I'll call ya again in a little bit."

"Ok," Alec said, feeling slightly reassured. He hung up and sank further against the cushions. That small conversation with Dean had worn him out, but he knew he still wouldn't be able to sleep. He wouldn't be able to until Sam and Dean were back.

He kept his phone in his hand and waited.

* * *

"Who called?" Sam asked, walking in from another room.

Dean smiled and said, "Alec."

Sam's eyes widened though and he quickly asked, "Are we leaving? Is he ok?"

Dean shook his head and his smile widened, "He was worried about us. He started asking questions about the hunt."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he wanted us to know that it was raining," Dean said.

"Maybe hunting will help," Sam said.

"As long as he doesn't show up outta nowhere…" Dean muttered. It was great that they were hunting again and it was even better that Alec seemed interested, but this could still backfire. Alec would want to help, especially if he thought they were in trouble. He would just have to keep his little brother updated like he promised; otherwise he could pretty much guarantee Alec coming out here.

"We'll just try to finish this up, and then we'll go back before he can even think about it," Sam said.

Dean's phone started ringing again, and he quickly answered, "Alec?"

"I'm ok," Alec quickly reassured. "But where _exactly_ are you?"

"I'm not telling you that," Dean said. Alec could still probably find them; it would just take him longer if he didn't know exactly where they were.

"Dean-"

"Alec, I'm gonna hang up on you right now if you even think about askin' that again," Dean warned. "You're not coming."

Alec sighed, and then grumbled, "Fine…"

"We'll be back soon," Dean said. "Just please don't leave that room."

"Fine," Alec said again before he hung up.

"See. He's already thinking about it," Dean said to Sam.

"At least he wants to do something."

* * *

He had paced for a while, but that wore him out. He had eaten what Sam had left him just so he could have more energy to pace some more. He hadn't gotten an update for a long time and he was starting to freak out again.

He wanted to go out and look for his brothers so he could help them if they needed it, but Dean had made it pretty clear that he wasn't allowed to do that. But it was almost seven in the morning; they'd been gone for almost eight hours. Dean's last update had been four hours ago and he'd told him that they were going outside to dig. They should've been back by now. He wanted to call, but Dean's phone wasn't working or something and Sam either didn't have his or it was broken too.

He wanted to go out to find them, but besides the fact that Dean would be pissed, he'd have to steal a car, hotwire the thing, and search the area all while trying not to pass out. He needed to pull himself together.

He was running through a million things that he could do, so he didn't notice when the door started to open.

"Alec? What's goin' on?" Dean asked. Alec spun around, but nearly passed out in relief when he saw his older brother. "Whoa, easy Alec," Dean said, reaching out to catch him. "Easy, easy, I gotcha."

He was sitting suddenly and Dean was in front of him. His older brother was soaking wet, but he looked ok. "What happened?"

"You kinda passed out for a second," Dean said, misunderstanding him.

"No, what happened with the hunt? Why didn't you call? And you didn't answer your phone. Are you ok? Where's Sam? Is Sam ok? Is the ghost gone?" Alec asked quickly.

"Alec, slow down, ok? I'm fine, Sam's fine, the ghost is gone, everything's fine, ok?" Dean said.

Alec slowly nodded, but then asked again, "Why didn't you call or answer your phone?"

"I'm sorry kiddo," Dean said. "Me and Sam both gotta get new phones. The ghost threw us around a little and mine fell outta my pocket and Sam's was crushed. We got back as fast as we could. Are you ok?"

"But you're ok, right?" Alec asked just to make sure.

Dean smiled and ruffled his hair, "Yeah, I'm ok. I'm soaked, but I'm ok. Are you ok?"

"Where's Sam?" Alec asked instead.

"I'm right here," Sam said as he walked in. "What's going on? Alec, are you ok?"

"He passed out," Dean said when he didn't answer right away.

"I didn't pass out. I'm fine," Alec grumbled.

"Yahtzee," Dean said. Alec frowned at him so he said, "We asked you if you were ok three times before you answered."

"You didn't answer your phone," Alec shot back.

"I couldn't answer my phone," Dean said. "Did you eat anything?"

Alec nodded; now that his brothers were back, he was exhausted again. But he had to make sure one more time that they were ok. "You're really alright? Nothing broken, no cuts, or even bruises…"

"We're fine," Dean reassured.

"We just got thrown around a little. Nothing too major," Sam said.

Alec nodded and turned so he could stretch out across the sofa. He could sleep now that his brothers were back.

* * *

Dean ran his hand down his face once Alec fell asleep. Sam walked around the sofa and helped Dean get their little brother more comfortable. Dean looked exhausted too, and they both needed to get cleaned up, but Sam was worried about Alec again.

"You wanna shower first?" Dean asked.

Sam looked to Alec and shook his head no. "You go first."

"Sam, you're gonna get sick if you don't change soon," Dean said.

"Dean, we're both gonna get sick anyway," Sam said. "I just wanna make sure he's really ok."

"I actually think he just wore himself out," Dean said with a small smile. "You know, he stayed awake the whole time we were gone."

"But he passed out," Sam said.

"I think he only passed out because he stayed awake for so long," Dean said. Sam still wasn't sure; Alec had been shaking and was way too pale. "Sam, he ate something without one of us forcing him to eat it. Let's take the win where we can get it, ok?"

Sam nodded, "Yeah, ok…"

"Now go get cleaned up, and then you can sit with him," Dean said.

Sam sighed, but turned to the bathroom. A shiver ran through him as he walked and he shook his head. They shouldn't have stayed out in the rain for so long. Hopefully it would just be a quick cold. He didn't want Dean to get sick, and he knew if he got sick then Dean would catch it too. That was the problem with living in the same room. At least Alec wouldn't catch it.

* * *

Alec startled awake. It was dark in the room so it must have been night again. He'd slept for a long time. He was surprised that Sam and Dean hadn't woken him up and forced him to eat something. They usually let him sleep for a while, but not for this long.

He slowly sat up and looked around for his brothers. They were both asleep, so he wasn't sure what had woken him up. His collarbone hurt though, so maybe he'd woken up because of the pain. He reached for his pills that were on the table, but froze when one of his brothers started coughing.

"Son of a bitch…" Dean wheezed when he could finally catch his breath.

Alec quickly grabbed his cup of water and brought it over to Dean. "Are you ok? What's wrong?"

Dean coughed some more, but it sounded pretty serious. "I'm fine…just a little cough," Dean whispered. Alec didn't know much about sickness, but this didn't sound like a little cough. This sounded serious. "Shit…what time is it?" Dean asked.

"I don't know…I just woke up," Alec replied.

Dean ran his hand down his face and looked over to Sam who was still asleep. But now that Alec looked him over, he didn't look so good either. He was sweating, but shivering at the same time.

"You're sick," Alec accused. "You're both sick."

"I'm fine, Alec," Dean muttered. "Just go back to sleep, ok?"

"You shouldn't have gone hunting in the rain. You always get onto me about going out when it's raining and claim that I'm going to get sick, but then you go and do the exact same thing," Alec said, ignoring Dean.

Dean started to argue, but couldn't because he was coughing instead. Alec awkwardly tried to pat Dean's back, but he was on the wrong side. His left arm was in a sling and it hurt too much to twist around to use his right hand.

"Alec, I'm ok," Dean whispered after a few minutes. "'S just a cough…"

"Do we have any medicine for coughs? Is that a thing?" Alec asked. He was way out of his element here; he'd never known anyone who'd gotten sick before.

Dean smiled though and ruffled his hair, "You're funny, you know that?"

"Dean, I'm being serious," Alec said. "You're sick and if there's some medicine then I should go get it."

"It'll go away," Dean said. "Just go to sleep, ok?"

"I'm not tired," Alec grumbled.

"Well I am," Dean muttered. He turned and lay down again and was asleep almost instantly.

Alec still wasn't sure; Dean had been seriously coughing, and then he'd tried to play it off that he was fine. He knew Dean wasn't fine, but his older brother hadn't helped him at all when it came to taking care of him.

He looked over to Sam's bed hoping he would be able to help him, but he looked even worse than Dean. Alec got up and walked over to Sam. He reached out and put his hand on Sam's forehead, but he immediately pulled back. Sam was burning up.

He looked back to Dean and wished his big brother would wake up and help him. But he knew a little more about fevers than he did about coughs. Injuries could get infected and infections led to fevers. He knew antibiotics would get rid of an infection, and then the fever would go away, but he didn't know what got rid of just fevers.

"Sam, can you hear me?" Alec whispered. He didn't really want to wake Dean up even though he could really use some help. It didn't matter though because Sam didn't wake up. He was shivering though and they didn't have any other blankets in the room.

Luckily he ran hotter than they did and he didn't get sick. He went to the other side of the bed and got in next to Sam.

"Good thing you don't mind sharing, Sammy," Alec said. He wasn't actually going to sleep since he was worried, but it felt good to sit down again. He was worn out, but at the same time adrenaline was pumping through him. "It's been a while since we shared…" Alec muttered. "You guys always try to make me take one of the beds, but y'know, I don't actually feel like I deserve it. That's why I keep picking the sofa. But you probably already knew that. You seem to know everything anyway so you probably know that too."

Now that he'd started talking, he wasn't going to stop. Sam wasn't listening anyway so it didn't matter.

"You and Dean always seem to know what's goin' on with me…I don't know how you do it, but you do. It must be a brother thing, but I don't get it yet. Maybe I never will. I'm messed up, Sam. I'm more messed up than you or Dean will ever know. It's wrong for you two to care about me, but I promised Dean that I wouldn't take off."

He tried to take a deep breath, but that hurt so he just stopped talking for a minute.

"Sam, I don't deserve this. Any of this," Alec said, anger starting to color his tone. He calmed himself down again, but decided he could be honest since Sam was completely out. "I was ready to die. White had his gun to my head and I was ready. I thought I was dead for a few minutes. I heard a gunshot and I guess I just automatically shut down. Rocky and Bear pulled me outta the way…"

He'd really thought he had been dead when that other gun went off. It'd taken Rocky and Bear a while to get him to snap out of it.

"I know what you're gonna say, you'd sigh and look sad and say 'Alec, I know you feel like this is your fault, but I couldn't stand it if you died.' Save it, ok? Dean already ran that spiel like 20 times and it's not working. The only thing that made me get back up was the fact that White was still alive and I needed to kill him. But I still wasn't good enough. I thought if I could just kill White then maybe I could redeem myself just a little bit. But White took me down like I was nothing. I knew he was superior to me, but I got it in my head that I could be better. Obviously I was wrong and I've got a broken collarbone and broken ribs to prove it."

Sam turned in his sleep, but he didn't wake up.

"Alright, I'll quit bein' such a downer. I know, we should take the win where we can and the bastard is dead. You'd probably say that the win was me still bein' alive, but I don't feel that right now. I feel like a failure and I am. I always have been. But for some reason you and Dean still want me around."

He looked over at Sam, but then decided to focus on the covers instead.

"Alright Sam, honesty time…I-um-you and Dean are the only reason I'm still here. I wouldn't tell you this if you were awake, but it's true. And here's where you and Dean both freak out and hover forever. Which is exactly why I'm telling you while you're asleep. And you're only asleep because you and Dean are both sick even though I told him you guys shouldn't be hunting in the rain. And just so you know, I have no idea how to take care of sick people…"

He got a little more comfortable and waited.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	2. Chapter 2

Distantly he could hear coughing. He felt hazy and couldn't really get his eyes open. The coughing stopped after a few minutes so he stopped trying to wake up. In the back of his mind he knew he shouldn't be asleep, but he couldn't remember why. He didn't really care though; if it was really important then Sam or Dean would wake him up.

But his bed shifted, making him frown. He didn't sleep on the beds anymore since he didn't want Sam or Dean to try to comfort him when he had nightmares. If he slept on the sofa, then they wouldn't know when he had nightmares. And this way Sam and Dean wouldn't have to sleep on the sofa.

There was a heavy thump as something hit the floor and Alec finally got his eyes open. It was dark in the room and he wasn't really sure where they were. A motel, obviously, but he didn't know where the motel was located.

Someone started coughing again and he could hear someone else throwing up. It finally hit him that his brothers were sick and he was supposed to take care of them. He immediately jumped out of bed and ran over to Sam who was throwing up on the floor.

"Sam?" Alec asked timidly.

Sam wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and whispered, "I'm alright…"

Alec frowned and reached out to put his hand on Sam's forehead. "Sam, you're burning up…at least I'm pretty sure you are. What temperature are you usually?" Dean sort of laughed, but ended up coughing more instead. Alec looked over at his older brother and said, "Don't go anywhere, because I'm checking you next." He turned back to Sam and asked again, "Sam, what temperature are you usually?"

"98," Sam replied, leaning against the nightstand.

"Ok…um, well, you're at maybe 101?" Alec said. "So that's bad, right?" Sam closed his eyes and shrugged. Alec looked over at Dean for help, but he wasn't on his bed anymore. "Dammit Dean," Alec breathed out. He shook his head though and focused again on Sam. "What do we use for fevers? I don't know how to bring down a fever if it isn't an infection."

Sam's eyes remained closed and Alec figured out he was asleep again. Alec sighed and carefully wrapped his arm around Sam's chest to get him away from the throw up. He leaned Sam against the back of the sofa before he went looking for his duffle. Sam had thrown up a little on his shirt and he figured he should get his brother into a new one before he got him back in bed.

But if he thought it was hard to change his own shirt with one arm, he had another thing coming. Sam wasn't helping him at all since he was out of it.

It took him ten minutes to just get Sam's shirt off of him. He looked at the clean shirt that was in his hand, but couldn't bring himself to try to get it on Sam just yet. It took a long time to get one shirt off of him, it was going to be nearly impossible to do this. And then he felt like a failure again; he couldn't even get his brother into a clean shirt.

He needed help, but he didn't want to ask Dean. It wasn't even really about the shirt anymore; he didn't know how to take care of sick people and he didn't want to mess up. He suddenly got an idea and he quickly pulled out his phone and called one of the few people he actually trusted outside of his brothers.

"Yeah?" Bobby growled over the phone a few seconds later.

"Um, hey Bobby, it's Alec…" Maybe this was a bad idea. Bobby could be busy and he probably didn't want to talk to him.

"Oh, hey kid," Bobby said, softer this time. "What d'you need?"

"Sam and Dean are sick and I don't know what to do," Alec admitted. "They're getting worse…"

"Ok, go through it with me. What do they got," Bobby said patiently.

"Dean's got this really bad cough that won't stop and Sam's got a fever and he just threw up," Alec said quickly.

"Alright, you want me to come to you or do you just want advice?" Bobby asked. "'Cause I'll do either one."

Bobby was serious; he really would come help him if he asked for it. He wanted to accept Bobby's help since this concerned his brothers, but he didn't know how Sam and Dean would feel about Bobby showing up on their doorstep. "I don't know…" Alec whispered.

"Where are you boys?" Bobby asked.

"Never mind," Alec said quickly. "Sorry I bothered you." He hung up before Bobby could say anything else and dropped his phone on the floor. His heart was pounding; he shouldn't've done that. Sam and Dean could be mad that he'd called Bobby behind their backs.

His phone started ringing and Bobby's name popped up. Alec turned off his phone and set it under the sofa so he wouldn't be tempted to call again.

But when he looked back to Sam, he remembered that he had to get Sam's shirt on him. He looked back at the shirt and just sat there.

"Hey," Dean said, walking out of the bathroom. His voice was rough and he looked exhausted, but he still walked over to him and crouched down. "What's goin' on?"

"Nothing," Alec whispered, keeping his focus on Sam's shirt in his hand.

Dean tried to take a deep breath, but Alec could hear how bad his breathing sounded. He didn't know what to do for either of his brothers. They were both sick, but he didn't know what to do. Dean gently took the shirt out of his hand and said, "Sammy's always been difficult to get dressed. He never really helps much and he's just arms and legs."

Alec watched as Dean got the new shirt on Sam in less than a minute. He looked over at Dean and knew he was failing at his poker face. Dean gave him a sad smile and ruffled his hair. Alec tried to smile back, but he couldn't. Instead he asked, "Do we have anything to bring down a fever, or do antibiotics do that like it does for infections?"

Dean frowned, "You've never…" He stopped, and then asked, "You really didn't know what cough medicine was, did you?" Alec looked down and shook his head no. "Alec, I thought you were joking when you asked me about cough medicine."

"I've never been sick before besides a fever, but that was because of an infection. And I'm not even supposed to get infections," Alec said. "I'm gonna screw this up…"

"Alec, we're gonna be fine," Dean tried to reassure.

Alec stared back at him and said, "I can hear your breathing. You sound terrible."

"It'll clear up," Dean said. "Tell me what happened when you had a fever."

Alec wasn't sure where Dean was going with this, but decided to humor him. "It kept getting higher until antibiotics got rid of the infection. Then my fever broke and it went away…"

"Sam's fever is gonna get pretty high and he's gonna throw up a few more times, but his fever usually breaks after a few hours and he gets better," Dean said. "He's the delicate one in the family so this isn't the first time he's been sick."

"What about your cough?" Alec asked even though Dean had technically already told him.

"It'll clear up on its own," Dean said again. "Just remind me to drink a lot of water, ok?" Alec nodded, and then Dean added on, "And you gotta drink a lot of water too. And when you try to get me and Sam to eat some soup, that means you do too, ok?"

Alec sighed but said, "Ok…"

"Now let's get Sam back in bed. He's gonna be a pain in the ass if we leave him on the floor all night," Dean said. "And if you think I'm a pain in the ass sometimes, then you've never had to deal with a sick Sammy."

Alec cracked a smile and grabbed Sam's hand to haul him up. They got Sam in bed again, but then Dean started to cough. He was doubled over he was coughing so badly, and Alec ran to get him a cup of water.

"Thanks…" Dean breathed out. Alec didn't say anything, and instead brought Dean over to his bed. "Alec, I'm gonna help you clean up."

Alec shook his head no and tried to get Dean to sit down. "I've got it," Alec said when Dean still didn't move. "Please, Dean, let me clean it up."

"If you're doing this to punish yourself-"

"I'm doing this because it needs to be done," Alec cut off.

"Alec, just let me help," Dean practically begged.

He wanted to let Dean help, but he couldn't. Not yet anyway. "Dean…"

Dean sighed, but finally nodded and got in bed. "Wake me up if you need something, ok?"

Alec didn't reply as he looked around for something to clean up the puke.

* * *

Dean woke himself up because of his cough. He was sore from coughing so much and his head hurt. Alec was right, he sounded terrible. But he didn't want to put anything else on his little brother; he had enough to deal with right now. Alec was depressed and he couldn't figure out how to help him. He thought he'd gotten his little brother back a couple times, but he kept falling back.

And now he and Sam were sick, which was just piling more on.

Sam got up suddenly and staggered to the bathroom. Dean knew he was about to get sick again, so he threw the covers off and followed him. At least Sam made it to the toilet this time.

"You ok?" Dean asked from the doorway. He looked back at Alec who was sleeping on the sofa, and he was relieved to see that he was still asleep.

"Made it to the toilet this time," Sam mumbled, resting his cheek against the seat.

"Dude," Dean said, shaking his head. He walked forward and moved Sam away from the toilet to lean against the tub instead.

"Dean, I'm gonna be sick again," Sam complained.

"Yeah, and leaning against a motel toilet is not going to help anything," Dean said. He sat down across from Sam and stretched out his legs. "I can't believe we're both sick…"

Sam gave him a look, "Seriously? We spent two hours in the rain and we live in the same room. When I get sick, you get sick. That's how it works."

"Yeah, I know…"

"Alec doin' any better?" Sam asked.

Dean shook his head no, "I thought I'd be able to snap him out of it, but every time I think he's coming back…"

"Yeah, I know," Sam said when he trailed off. "Honestly I thought he'd be more like you in this too."

Dean frowned, "What d'you mean?"

Sam hesitated, but then said, "When Dad died you threw yourself into hunting. You were reckless and you were ready to punch anything or anyone, including me."

"So?" Dean growled. He really didn't want to talk about this.

"So, Alec's completely opposite. He shut down," Sam said. "It's just weird since you two are so alike in everything."

"I just wish we could get him back," Dean muttered. "It's not the same without his smartass remarks or him tryin' to talk my ear off."

Sam smiled a little and nodded, "He could talk for hours…"

Dean chuckled, but it turned into a cough. He wrapped one arm around his middle and coughed into his other hand. His sides hurt from coughing so much already and this wasn't helping. Sam moved to sit next to him and patted his back.

"You want some water?" Sam asked.

Dean shook his head no and forced out, "I'm alright…"

"Dean, you sound terrible," Sam said.

"Feel pretty terrible too," Dean admitted.

"C'mon, let's get you back in bed," Sam replied. He stood up, and then reached down to help him up.

"You should be in bed too," Dean grumbled.

"I'll go back to bed in a minute," Sam said. "I'm gonna check on Alec first."

"Well, if you're checkin' on Alec, then I want to too," Dean said.

Sam sighed, but they both went over to Alec anyway. Dean hated it that he slept on the sofa now. It'd taken a while for him to get used to waking up next to Alec every so often, but he did get used to it and now Alec slept on the sofa again.

Alec's eyes were closed and his breathing was slow in sleep, but he didn't look comfortable. Dean knew he usually slept on his stomach, but with his shoulder all messed up he couldn't.

"Y'know, that sofa is the most uncomfortable sofa there ever was," Sam said after a moment.

"Probably isn't doin' his shoulder any good…" Dean said.

"Think we should move him?" Sam asked.

Dean huffed, "Only if you want your nose broken."

"Well, let's wake him up then and see if he'll move," Sam suggested.

"Alright, but when he gets all pissy, I'm blaming you," Dean said.

"He won't be pissy. He'll be sleepy, which is the best way to catch him," Sam said. He hesitated though before suggesting, "Maybe you should wake him up…"

"Go lay down. I've got an idea," Dean said. Sam gave him a funny look, but walked over to his bed after a moment and got back under the covers. Dean crouched down in front of Alec and shook his good shoulder, "Alec, can you wake up for me?" Alec tried to turn away from him, but ran into the sofa cushion. "Alec, I need your help with something…"

"What is it?" Alec asked without waking up.

"Hey, c'mon, open your eyes so I know you're listening," Dean said. Alec slowly opened his eyes and frowned. "I need your help with something," Dean said again.

Alec started to sit up and Dean helped him the rest of the way. "Is it your cough? Do I need to go get the mysterious medicine?"

"It's not me," Dean said. "Sam keeps getting up to go throw up and I don't wake up every time. He might need somethin' and he won't tell me if he does…"

"He in the bathroom now?" Alec asked, trying to see over to the bathroom.

"No he's back in bed now," Dean said. "I know you're tired, but you've got better hearing than I do. If you hear him, could you…"

"Yeah, of course," Alec said. "You should go back to sleep. Or do you want some water or something to eat?"

"I'm alright," Dean said. "And I'm goin' to bed right now."

Alec watched him as he stood up and went back to bed. Alec turned around again once he got under the covers, but Sam was looking at him and silently asking him if this was the plan. Dean winked and just waited.

He didn't have to wait as long as he thought he would before he heard Alec stand up. He walked around the sofa, and then crawled into bed next to Sam. Dean smiled; he knew Alec would still be tired, but he wouldn't want to miss it if Sam needed something so he'd move to the bed so he could feel it if Sam moved.

He looked over at Sam and saw that he was giving him an impressed smile. Dean smiled back before falling asleep again.

* * *

Sam was not feeling very good. His stomach hurt, his muscles ached, and he couldn't sleep for very long. He thought he might throw up again so he slowly got up and walked to the bathroom. He didn't turn the light on since he didn't want either of his brothers to wake up, but he did sit down next to the toilet.

He ended up leaning over and resting against the porcelain. It was cold and it felt good against his heated skin. He actually managed to doze off sitting like this.

He startled awake though when he heard a small whimper from the other room. He pushed himself up and walked back to where his brothers were sleeping and scanned both of them to see who needed help. Dean was asleep; his breathing didn't sound great, but he really was asleep. Alec was asleep too, but it looked like he had tried to turn onto his injured shoulder in his sleep.

Alec moved again; he wasn't sleeping peacefully and Sam decided he should probably wake him up. If he kept turning in his sleep, then he was going to hurt himself. Sam really didn't want that to happen so he walked over and gently shook Alec's shoulder.

"Alec, c'mon buddy, you gotta wake up," Sam said. Alec didn't wake up, but his breathing became harsher and he tried to turn towards him and onto his hurt arm. "No, no, no, no," Sam said, getting back in bed. "Not on that side…" He tried to force Alec onto his back again, but he struggled against him. "Alec, c'mon…"

Alec sat up suddenly and looked around to try to figure out where he was. Sam could practically see Alec figure out where he was, and then he just deflated when he remembered everything.

"Alec?" Sam asked gently. He looked so sad and lost. Sam wanted nothing more than to hug his little brother and help him.

Alec shook his head, but then stopped and closed his eyes. He tried to control his breathing again, but it wasn't working. A tear streaked down his cheek and Alec was shaking he was trying so hard to not break down. Sam reached out to put a comforting hand on his back, but Alec pulled away.

"I can't do this," Alec said brokenly. "I'm not-I'm not good enough."

"Alec," Sam whispered. He reached out again and this time Alec didn't pull away. He rubbed Alec's back, but he wished he could do more.

But the comfort must have been too much for him. His breath hitched, and then the tears started to fall. Sam immediately wrapped his arms around his little brother and held him close. Alec shook in arms, but that was the only clue he had that Alec was sobbing against him. He was tempted to get Dean since he was better at this than he was, but he knew Dean needed his sleep and he didn't want to leave Alec right now.

"It's alright, Alec," Sam soothed. Alec whimpered and Sam realized his ribs had to be killing him. "Hey, let's lay down again, what d'you say?" Alec shook his head no, which meant he was welcoming the pain. "Can I at least look at your ribs?" Sam asked.

"They're still broken," Alec muttered thickly. His breathing was still harsh though and Sam wished he would just lie down.

"At least let me get some ice," Sam suggested.

"Sam, you're just making me feel worse," Alec said.

"Ok, no ice," Sam said. "Do you want me to get Dean?" Alec shook his head no and tried to take a deep breath. He winced though and just kind of sat there for a moment. Sam still had his hand on Alec's shoulder so he gave him a gentle squeeze.

Alec looked at his hand in confusion, and then blinked a few times. "I just wanna sleep…" Alec whispered after a few minutes.

"You can sleep," Sam said.

Alec shook his head again, but his eyes closed after a moment. He fell forward and ended up resting against his chest. Sam got Alec situated, and then lay down next to him. He didn't feel great again, but Alec needed him.

"I'll try not to throw up on you, ok little brother?" Sam said.

"M'kay…" Alec mumbled, turning towards him.

* * *

Sam did throw up on him though, a few hours after they had fallen back asleep. Alec sighed, but then got up and tried to pull Sam up. Sam was completely out of it so he couldn't get him on his feet. Sam was bigger than him, and even though he was stronger he didn't want Sam to fall over. He could only manhandle his brother so much because of his arm.

But if he could get Sam on the ground, then he could probably drag him to the bathroom. Then he'd just have to get Sam into the tub to get him cleaned up. It was gonna suck to get him into clean clothes, but he didn't want to wake Dean up.

He decided that getting Sam's feet on the ground first was his best option. If he tried anything else he was afraid that he would drop Sam or make too much noise and wake Dean up.

He maneuvered Sam's legs over the side of the bed and carefully set his feet on the floor. He quickly moved so he could wrap his arm around Sam's chest and sort of scooted him the rest of the way off of the bed. Luckily, he was much stronger than an ordinary so he could hold Sam with one arm. He lowered Sam the rest of the way to the floor, and then took a moment to catch his breath. If there was any other way to do this, then he would.

 _'Ok, you can do this,'_ Alec thought to himself. _'You don't have to screw everything up. You can do this one thing.'_

Alec wrapped his arm around Sam's chest again and slowly started to drag him to the bathroom. He nearly slipped and fell, but he caught his footing again without dropping Sam or falling. His ribs were killing him, but he had to manage and get Sam to the bathroom.

The tub though was even trickier than the bed. He wanted to give up and go back to bed, but he couldn't leave his brother.

He actually smiled a little when he figured out what he could do. He got in the tub with Sam and lowered him down before he got his freakishly long legs in the tub too. He actually did it. He got Sam into the tub without hurting him and without waking Dean up. He felt good, but he knew it wouldn't last. For now though, he savored the feeling. He felt like he could actually breathe again.

He turned on the water and pointed the showerhead at his brother. He didn't think about the temperature when he did that, but he should have. Sam startled awake and looked around for where the water was coming from.

Alec couldn't help his chuckle when he saw the look on Sam's face. Sam glared at him, but he broke into a small smile after a moment. "What's all this for?"

"You threw up everywhere, and then didn't wake up," Alec said.

"I threw up on you?" Sam asked pitifully. Alec shrugged since he didn't want to admit it, but Sam's face fell anyway. "Alec, I'm sorry man."

"It's no big deal," Alec replied. "I'm sorry I didn't think about the temperature…"

"No, it's good. I needed to wake up," Sam said.

"At least it'll be easier to get you back in bed," Alec said.

Sam's eyes widened, "Wait, where's Dean?"

"Sleeping. Why?" Alec asked.

"Alec! Ribs!" Sam exclaimed.

"Keep it down, would ya?" Alec growled. "Or do you want Dean to wake up?"

Sam sighed, but then asked, "Can I get outta the tub now?"

"Get cleaned up and I'll be back," Alec replied. Sam slowly pushed himself up and started to pull off his shirt. Alec left the bathroom and looked around for his duffle. He couldn't remember exactly where he put it, so he went over to Dean's instead.

He found some flannel and some pants, but he didn't change. It would take him a while to get out of his sling and undo the buttons on his shirt and Sam would get impatient and would probably come find him before he was done. He threw his clothes on Dean's bed, and then went to Sam's duffle to get him some sweats and a t-shirt.

"Here," Alec said, opening the door a crack and holding out the clothes. Sam grabbed them and Alec shut the door again. He went over to the sofa, but frowned when he saw puke on his sling. Now he didn't have a choice; he wasn't going to sit around with puke on his sling.

It took him a few minutes, but he managed to get the sling off. He was halfway through the buttons when the bathroom door opened again.

"Alec?" Sam asked softly.

"I'm alright," Alec automatically replied.

"Will you at least let me help? I'm the one who threw up on you," Sam said.

"I've got it. You can go back to bed," Alec said.

"No Alec, c'mon," Sam said, walking over to him. He crouched down in front of him and reached out to help him with his shirt, but he hit Sam's hands away. "Either let me clean up your sling or help with your shirt, which is it gonna be?"

Alec grabbed the sling and practically threw it at Sam. His brother glared back at him, but got up and took his sling to the sink. Alec wasn't sure where the flash of anger had come from, but he felt like he should apologize to Sam. He was just trying to help.

"I'm sorry," Alec whispered. He kept working on the buttons as Sam turned on the sink. The water shut off after a moment and Sam walked back over to him.

"Alec, it's time for some tough love here," Sam said, crouching down again. "Me and Dean are both worried about you and we want to help. But I'm not gonna let you be a pain in the ass when it comes to your shoulder or your ribs, got it?" Alec wasn't sure what to say, so he just nodded in reply. Sam undid the last few buttons, and then asked, "Where'd you put the clothes you were gonna change into?"

"On the bed," Alec replied.

Sam got up and walked over to the bed, and then came back. "So, what's it gonna be? Will you let me help you or not?"

"My ribs are killing me," Alec admitted. "And my shoulder always hurts the most in the morning."

Sam nodded, "Ok, can I get you some ice?"

"…Ok…," Alec said hesitantly, and then quickly added on, "And it's easier to get the shirt on by myself, but I need help with the buttons and the sling."

"Ok, so, I'll get the ice and you can start to get your shirt on," Sam said.

"Ok…" Alec agreed.

Sam left the room and came back a few minutes later with a bag of ice. "Let's move to the bed so I can go ahead and get this ice on your ribs."

"Buttons and sling first, and then the ice," Alec bargained. "Ice is cold and I hated being cold."

"I know you do," Sam said, gently ruffling his hair. "And the only reason I'm agreeing is because you're being uncharacteristically honest with me right now."

"And you threw up on me," Alec said with a small smile.

Sam rolled his eyes, but then nodded, "Yeah, I did throw up on you." He reached out to do the buttons and Alec let him without arguing. Sam got the sling on him before he stood up and nodded towards the bed. "C'mon, time for the ice."

"What if I just agree to sleep on the bed again?" Alec asked, looking up at Sam.

But Sam shook his head no. "Ice is part of the tough love. Do you want your ribs to hurt all night?"

"Even if I say yes, you aren't going to let me sleep without it," Alec said.

"That's true," Sam said with a smile.

"Fine," Alec breathed out.

They both walked over to the bed, but stopped when they saw that the sheets were still dirty. Alec looked over at Sam, who gave him a sheepish smile in return. Alec chuckled and shook his head in amusement.

"You could bunk with Dean," Sam suggested.

"Sam-" Alec started, but he stopped suddenly when he heard footsteps outside their door.

"Alec, what is it?" Sam whispered.

Alec held up his finger to signal that he should wait there and started for the door. Sam stopped him though with a hand to his chest and a look on his face that was clearly asking, 'Seriously?'

Alec huffed and rolled his eyes, but said, "Someone's outside our door. Let me go look."

"Just wait. Maybe they'll go away," Sam said, but he didn't sound like he believed it.

They waited, but whoever it was remained outside of their room.

"Sam, where's my bag?" Alec asked without taking his eyes off the door.

"Why?"

"I can't remember where I put it. Is it in the car?" Alec asked.

"Alec, now's not the time for this," Sam hissed.

"I'm looking for my gun. If someone's gonna break in, then I want my gun," Alec explained.

"Alec-"

They both froze when someone knocked on the door. They shared a look, and then he started to move, but Sam held him back.

"We should wake Dean up," Alec whispered.

Whoever was at their door knocked again, and Sam motioned for him to stay calm and to wait where he was. He decided to ignore Sam a little bit and went over to Dean while Sam went to the door. He would protect Dean since he couldn't really help much.

"Finally, I was about to bust the door down," A familiar voice grumbled when Sam opened the door. "Where's your idjit of a little brother?" Sam stepped aside and Bobby walked in. The older hunter scanned the room until his eyes landed on him. "Where's your damn phone?"

Alec's eyes widened and he involuntarily glanced over at the sofa.

"Bobby-" Sam started.

"Get your ass in bed, y'hear me?" Bobby practically yelled at Sam.

"His bed's messed up," Alec said, trying to defend his older brother.

Bobby glared at both of them before he went over to Dean. "C'mon, get up," Bobby said, tapping Dean's shoulder.

Dean looked up at him in confusion after a moment and asked, "What?"

"Get up and get your things," Bobby said to Dean. He turned to look at him and Sam and said, "That includes you two. Get your stuff and get your asses in the car."

Alec looked between Sam and Dean to see what they were going to do. He was in so much trouble. Sam and Dean were going to be pissed at him, and he already knew Bobby was mad at him. Sam started packing their things though and Dean slowly followed.

Bobby walked over to the sofa and looked around for a moment before he kneeled down. He stood back up and came over to him. "Don't forget this," Bobby growled, shoving his phone against his chest. Bobby released the phone after a moment and it dropped down into his sling.

Oh yeah, he was in trouble.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	3. Chapter 3

"How bad is your shoulder?" Bobby asked Alec as they all walked outside.

"How bad…um…what?" Alec asked, looking at him with wide eyes. Shit, he was scarin' the kid and he didn't want to do that. He just wanted him to be ok. But obviously the kid wasn't ok.

"Can you drive?" Bobby clarified. Alec swallowed hard and nodded. "You're driving the Impala with Sam. Dean's comin' with me."

"Says who?" Dean growled.

"Bobby, I can drive," Sam argued at the same time.

"Get your ass in the truck and don't argue," Bobby ordered. He turned to look at Alec, but the kid still hadn't moved. "You waitin' for an invitation?"

"Where am I going?" Alec asked when Dean handed him the keys and walked away.

"Does it look like I care?" Bobby asked. "Go to Disney World if that'll make ya happy. Just start drivin'."

Alec nodded once and got into the driver's seat of the Impala. Bobby sighed, but walked over to get into his truck. Dean was pouting in the passenger's seat, but he would get to him later. First, he was gonna let him stew a little bit.

His boys were a mess, there was no doubt about it. Dean was coughing every few minutes and Sam's cheeks were flushed with fever. And Alec…the poor kid was just there and barely going through the motions. His eyes were hollow, he'd lost weight, and he still hadn't healed from his injuries and he knew Alec healed fast.

"How'd you know?" Dean asked after a while. The silence must've been wearing on him.

He considered not answering, but he was ready to knock some sense into Dean. "How d'you think?"

"Sam called you," Dean guessed.

"Wrong little brother," Bobby replied, trying to hide his smirk.

"Alec?" Dean asked, confused.

"You got another little brother I don't know about?" Bobby grumbled.

"No," Dean stated.

"Then yeah, it was Alec," Bobby replied. "He didn't know how to help you two idjits so he called for advice. He didn't know I was comin' though, so don't give him a hard time about this, understand?"

Dean glared at him, "Even if he did ask you to come, I'm not going to give him a hard time about anything. Anything."

Bobby sighed and shook his head, "You should've called sooner."

"I'm his older brother! I'm supposed to take care of him!" Dean yelled.

"You can't do this alone," Bobby said, his voice softer than it had been. "You and Sam are sick and he's not gettin' any better." Dean didn't say anything so he asked, "So far, what've you and Sam been doin'?"

"We've tried to do what he wants, but he doesn't want to do anything," Dean said. "We went on a hunt and he actually wanted to know what was going on, but then we got sick…"

"Alright, well, your method ain't workin' so let me try mine," Bobby said.

"Your method?" Dean asked.

"He's not the first Winchester who's been depressed," Bobby replied. "Your Daddy, you, and Sam…I've seen it in all three of ya. You and Sam can usually take care of each other and John would just go to a bar until he could pull himself back together, but Alec had a different upbrinin' than you did."

"Don't you think I know that?" Dean asked angrily. "I've been trying, I swear I have been."

"I believe ya, boy, I do," Bobby quickly reassured. He knew better than to step on Dean's toes when it came to his little brothers, but he needed Dean to let him do this. "Just let me stick around for a while."

Dean huffed, "Let you? Like I let you in the motel earlier?"

"If you and Sam keep goin' like this, then you won't have a little brother for very much longer," Bobby said. "I know you don't want to hear it, but he's fadin'. He's lost more weight since I saw him."

Dean looked down in shame and said, "I know…"

"Let me try," Bobby said. He knew he wouldn't be able to get very close to Alec unless he had Dean's permission.

Dean finally nodded, but asked, "What's your way?"

"You're not gonna like it," Bobby warned. Sam and Dean were both very protective over Alec, and he knew they would want to stop him from doing this.

"What is it?"

"You just gotta let me do it…" Bobby said. He just hoped it would work.

* * *

Sam looked like he didn't feel good again, so Alec decided he should probably stop. Bobby pulled up next to him and walked over, but Dean didn't get out. Alec frowned, but looked over at Bobby.

"Why'd we stop?" Bobby asked.

"Sam doesn't feel good," Alec replied softly.

"Did you want to stop?" Bobby asked gruffly.

"Um…why does that matter?" Alec asked back.

"Get back in the car and keep drivin'," Bobby ordered.

"Bobby," Alec started, but then stopped when Bobby looked at him. "Never mind…"

"You got somethin' to say, then say it," Bobby growled.

"No sir," Alec snapped. He got back in the car and slammed the door shut. He peeled out of the parking lot and sped off down the road. He didn't care if Bobby could keep up or not. Except Dean was with Bobby and he was probably freaking out about his car.

"Alec, you ok?" Sam asked.

Alec took a shuddering breath, but nodded. "I'm fine…" He didn't know where the anger had come from, but he was trying to get himself back under control.

"What did Bobby say?" Sam asked.

"He told me to keep driving," Alec muttered.

Sam frowned at him, "Why?"

"I guess he's not ready to stop yet," Alec lied.

"Oh, um, ok," Sam replied. "How's your shoulder and ribs? Is driving making you sore or anything?"

"I'm fine." His shoulder was starting to throb though and his ribs still hurt from before Bobby got there. He wasn't going to tell Sam that though. He was just going to keep driving until they needed gas. Bobby was pushing him, but he could push back. He could drive a lot longer than Bobby could.

Sam fell asleep again, but he kept going. He stopped to get gas, and Bobby did too, but neither of them said anything so they kept driving. His shoulder was really hurting and his ribs were on fire. He could feel sleep tugging at him, but he wasn't ready to stop yet. He didn't want to be the one who broke first.

But it seemed like Bobby wasn't going to give in either. He kept going until he was in some serious pain and decided being the first to break was better than passing out at the wheel. He pulled into the next motel that he saw and killed the engine. He remained where he was and tried to wipe the pain off his face so they wouldn't know.

Dean tapped on his window after a few seconds though, and then opened his door. "C'mon, let's go inside," Dean said gently.

Alec tried to move his legs, but he was running on empty. "Dean…"

"What's wrong?" Dean asked, crouching down.

"I don't think I can move," Alec breathed out.

"I'll help ya, ok? We just gotta get out of the car," Dean said.

"I don't think I can even do that," Alec admitted.

"I'm gonna help you, ok? You just have to trust me," Dean replied. Alec nodded once and he let Dean help him move his legs outside of the car. The movement helped wake him up a little and he found that he could actually move his right arm to rest against Dean's shoulder. Dean wrapped his arm around his waist and warned, "This is probably going to hurt…"

Alec nodded again, but he cried out in pain when Dean hauled him up. He'd been sitting for too long and he was paying for it now.

"I gotcha, I gotcha," Dean tried to reassure as he sagged against his older brother. "That was the hard part." Alec groaned and fisted his hand in Dean's shirt. "I know, I know," Dean soothed. "We just gotta get inside now, and then the bed's not too far." Dean suddenly leaned over slightly and said, "Sammy! Wake up!"

"What? What's goin' on?" Sam slurred.

"C'mon, it's time to go inside," Dean said. "Bobby's gettin' us a room right now." Dean's arm tightened around him and said, "You ready kiddo?" Alec nodded against him and let his older brother practically drag him inside. "Here we go," Dean said, easing him onto the bed. "Give me two seconds. I gotta get some ice and your pills, ok?"

Alec nodded and slowly lay back.

"Alec, what happened?" Sam asked as he walked inside.

"I might've overdone it…" Alec replied. "Dean's getting some ice for me."

"And his pills," Dean said, coming back in. "Pain pills and tryptophan. Sam, toss me another pillow." Dean suddenly propped him up a little and held out a couple pills.

"Where's Bobby?" Alec asked after he took the pills.

"He went to grab some things," Dean said. "You'll probably be asleep by the time he gets back." Alec nodded and closed his eyes. "Alec, I'm going to put the ice on your side, ok?" He groaned when the ice made contact, but Dean kept him steady. "It'll go numb in a minute," Dean reassured.

His side did go numb and the pills started to work too, so he was able to drift off a few minutes later.

* * *

Alec turned in his sleep when the door opened, but Dean ran his fingers through his hair a few times and he relaxed again. His little brother was actually snuggled up against his side sleeping, which he hadn't done in a long time.

"He ok?" Bobby asked, dropping the food on the table.

"He's worn out and his side's hurtin' him," Dean replied coldly. He knew Alec wouldn't've gone as far as he did if Bobby hadn't said something. He didn't know what Bobby had said, but he knew Alec had kept going.

"Dean," Sam chastised from his bed. He gave him the look that told him to knock it off, but he wasn't done yet.

"Dean, I told you that you weren't gonna like it," Bobby replied. He glared back instead of answering so Bobby said, "He was pissed. He was pissed at me, which is why he kept driving. But you know what? At least he felt somethin' _and_ he had to choose to stop. He didn't just have you guys decide since he doesn't want to do anything, but he made the choice to stop."

"He only stopped because he was in pain," Dean shot back. He started coughing again, and he looked down at Alec in panic. Luckily Alec was completely out, but he really wished he could shake this cough. Sam seemed to be doing a little better at least, which pissed him off, but he was still coughing. He probably needed to actually get some medicine, but Alec came first.

Bobby sighed, "He admitted that he was in pain. He let you help him. For God's sake, he's snuggled up against you right now. If that's not progress, then I don't know what is."

"Dean, maybe Bobby's right," Sam tried. "It's been a long time since we didn't have to pretty much trick him into sleeping on a bed. It might be a small win-"

"But we should take the win where we can," Dean finished. He coughed again, and he tried to get himself to stop coughing, but that just made it worse.

"You really need to start taking some medicine," Sam said.

"I'm fine," Dean said automatically.

"Dean, I know you thought your cough was going to clear up on its own, but that doesn't sound like it's getting any better," Sam replied. "If you keep going like this, then it's gonna turn into pneumonia and you know that because this is how it always starts with you."

"Sam-" He had to stop so he could cough again.

"Not only that, but you're gonna wake Alec up if you keep coughing," Sam pointed out.

"I'm just gonna go to sleep," Dean grumbled.

"Alright, but when you wake yourself up in a few hours from coughing, I'm gonna say I told you so," Sam said.

"Shut up Sam," Dean said, scooting down next to Alec.

"You probably wouldn't even be this sick if you would take care of yourself more and eat a little healthier. I'm already starting to feel bit better," Sam continued.

"Shut up Sam," Dean said again.

Sam chuckled, but didn't say anything else so he could sleep. Unfortunately Sam was right. He coughed most of the night and actually thought about finding some medicine.

"Dean?" Alec asked sleepily after a particularly bad round of coughing.

"I'm alright," Dean replied breathlessly. "Sorry 'bout wakin' you up."

"You don't sound alright," Alec muttered.

"How're the ribs treatin' ya?" Dean asked to get Alec on a different track.

"If I say that I'm alright, will you believe me?" Alec asked back.

"No."

"Then we're even," Alec said with a small smile.

"Go back to sleep," Dean grumbled.

"I would, but you'll just start coughing again in a few minutes," Alec replied.

"I'm gonna take some medicine," Dean relented.

"I'll believe that when I see it," Alec said, snuggling against him again. Dean almost thought Alec really was asleep again, but then he mumbled, "Dean?"

"Yeah kiddo?"

"I just want to forget," Alec whispered. "I feel like I can't even move…"

"I know," Dean replied. "I wish I could help somehow…"

"I wish you could too," Alec said. His breathing slowed as he fell back asleep.

* * *

"Alec, let's go, up and at 'em," Dean said. "It's time to eat something."

Alec grabbed the pillow next to him and pulled it over his face. "No thanks," Alec mumbled.

"Alec," Dean sighed.

"I'll eat later," Alec said.

He heard Dean walk away, but then the pillow was suddenly ripped away from him. He flinched since it was brighter now, but then slowly opened his eyes. Bobby was standing over him and he growled, "Get up. Dean made you breakfast."

"I'm not hungry," Alec said, glaring at the older man.

"Did that sound like a suggestion to you?" Bobby asked.

"You can't tell me what to do," Alec shot back, sitting up. "If I wanna lay around in bed all day, I can."

"You're seriously gonna pass up breakfast that was made just for you?" Bobby asked. "Not to mention, it was made by your two older brothers who just wanna do somethin' nice for you even though they feel like shit."

"Yeah, well, I feel like shit too and I just wanna sleep some more," Alec replied with a smirk. He lay back again and pulled the covers up.

The blankets were ripped away though, much like his pillow, and Bobby ordered, "Get up and go eat breakfast, now."

"No," Alec replied.

"You have two minutes to change your mind," Bobby said before he walked away.

Alec rolled his eyes and got comfortable again. He didn't need the blankets to fall asleep again and he still had one pillow. He knew Sam and Dean would save something for him when he wanted to finally get up.

He drifted off again, but then gasped in surprise when freezing cold water was thrown on him, soaking him instantly. He sputtered and looked around wildly until his eyes landed on Bobby holding an empty bucket.

"What the Hell!" Alec yelled.

"I gave you two minutes to change your mind," Bobby replied.

"What happened?" Sam asked, walking over.

Alec didn't answer, and instead got up and stormed over to the bathroom. He slammed the door shut behind him and grabbed one of the towels to dry off. He should've grabbed some dry clothes to change into, but he hadn't thought about that.

"Bobby, lay off would ya?" Dean asked from the other side of the door. "He usually eats after a little while."

"Yeah, and you didn't have to toss water on him," Sam threw in. "He hates being cold."

"Shut up and go eat your breakfast," Bobby said to Sam and Dean before he yelled, "And you better get your ass outta that bathroom in five minutes."

"Or what? You'll break the door down?" Alec asked quietly to himself. He smiled and actually chuckled to himself. It was funny to think about Bobby trying to bust down the door. He was tempted to let him try, but he didn't want Bobby to hurt himself. Not yet anyway. But if any more water was tossed on him, then he knew where he was going.

He left the bathroom after a couple more minutes and walked over to the little table where Sam and Dean were already eating. He didn't say anything to them, and he completely ignored Bobby, but he did grab his fork and started to eat the scrambled eggs.

His day didn't get any better though. Bobby bossed him around all day and refused to leave him alone. When he tried to watch TV, Bobby walked over and unplugged it. When he went to take a nap, Bobby pushed him off of the sofa. Bobby threw water on him again when he didn't get up for lunch, and he went back to the bathroom and locked the door. Bobby surprised him though and actually broke down the door.

"I'm goin' out," Alec finally grumbled. He looked around for the keys to the Impala, but he couldn't find them. He would walk if he had to, but he really wanted to drive.

"Here," Dean said, tossing him the keys.

Alec caught them and said, "Thanks." He was just about to walk out the door when Dean started coughing again. He stopped and looked back and waited until Dean caught his breath. "You wanna come with me?" He looked over at Sam too and said, "Actually, you both wanna go? We could sneak out while Bobby's in the bathroom." They'd hung up one of the blankets to make due as a door since the real door was broken.

Sam and Dean both looked at him in surprise, but then moved at the same time. They both grabbed their jackets and practically ran to the door.

Alec still drove even though Dean was going now too. He would just give Dean the keys back, but he wanted to make a run somewhere and he didn't think Dean would agree to it if he was the one driving.

"So Bobby's being annoying, huh?" Alec asked as he drove away from the motel.

Dean chuckled next to him and said, "Yeah, I didn't think he was actually gonna break down the door…"

"That was pretty impressive," Sam said. Sam started laughing after a moment and said, "You should've seen your face."

Dean laughed too, but his turned into a cough. After a minute he managed to ask, "You didn't think he could do it, did you?"

"No," Alec said with a chuckle. "But can you blame me? The guy's like 100 years old."

"Bobby's a badass," Dean said. He started coughing again and Alec looked over at him in concern. "Eyes on the road, kiddo," Dean forced out. "You're not gonna get to drive Baby anymore if you wreck her."

"Dean, you really sound terrible," Sam said. "I think it's time for a trip to the hospital…"

"No," Dean refused. He looked over at him again and asked, "Where're we goin' anyway?"

Alec looked out the window and refused to meet Dean's gaze. "We're just driving around…"

"Liar," Dean said with a cough.

Sam leaned forward and asked, "Seriously Alec, where're we going?"

"The pharmacy," Alec muttered, staring straight ahead.

Sam immediately started laughing, but Dean sort of growled at him and said, "Nope. Not a chance, kiddo. Pull the car over right now…You've lost your driving privileges."

"But Dean, I think I'm running low on pain pills," Alec lied.

"Liar," Dean said again. "Y'know, for a super-powered super-soldier you are a terrible liar."

"I'm only bad at lying to you," Alec muttered. Louder he said, "You said you would take some medicine. Why not just go to the pharmacy and show me what the medicine is instead of me looking around like an idiot for a few hours?"

"Alec…" Dean sighed.

"Please Dean," Alec begged.

Dean glared at him, but he kept up the sad puppy-dog eyes hoping Dean would break first.

"Alec, I think we're past the point of cough medicine," Sam said when neither of them would budge.

Alec frowned, "What d'you mean?"

"He's already got pneumonia…or at least he's pretty much at that point and refusing to acknowledge it," Sam said. "Which means we need to go to the hospital to get him some antibiotics, but he's going to refuse until he doesn't have a choice."

"Sam," Dean growled.

"So what do we do?" Alec asked, looking back at Sam. Pneumonia sounded serious. It was a serious medical term and Dean needed to go to the hospital.

"Alec, eyes on the road," Dean ordered.

"Sam, what do we do?" Alec asked again, ignoring Dean.

"Turn the car around," Sam said.

Alec didn't argue even though he was confused; he knew the hospital was the way they were already going since he'd seen the blue sign for it a while back.

"Sam, what're you doin'?" Dean asked, just as confused as he was.

"You won't go to the hospital, so it's pointless," Sam said.

"Yeah, but we could go to the pharmacy still and restock," Dean said. "Our supplies are runnin' low and we can never have too much tryptophan."

Alec shook his head, but he didn't take the bait. Instead, he kept driving back to the motel. He was itching to ask Sam what the plan was, but he had a feeling that Dean was going to shoot it down as soon as he heard it. He was surprised though when they got back and Sam didn't say anything.

Bobby asked them where they went, but none of them really said anything. It was a tense dinner and Alec kept looking between Sam and Dean. They were obviously having a silent argument, and all he could pick up on was that they were still arguing about the hospital.

"Spill," Dean finally demanded.

"Just hear me out and don't immediately shoot it down, ok?" Sam asked quickly.

"What is it?" Dean asked with a scowl.

"We go to Wisconsin," Sam said. He continued before Dean could say anything. "We go see Zach and Chris. It's not really a hospital, they can get you some medicine, _and_ they can check Alec over."

"What?" Alec asked with a frown.

"You don't get to shoot it down either," Sam said.

"I don't need a hospital," Alec argued. "I already went to the hospital, which is why my arm's in a sling. _And,_ unlike some people, I'm actually taking my medicine."

"You've got four screws holding your collarbone together," Sam pointed out. "I'm sure for normal people it's fine to keep the screws where they are, but in our line of work I think it's safer if we get them taken out when your collarbone's healed."

"He's got a point there," Dean muttered.

Alec rolled his eyes, "Oh yeah, now you think it's a good idea…"

"Just think about it," Sam said, still trying to convince them. "We could get some real rest and some good food, all while you two get the medical help you need without going to a hospital."

"You think this Chris and Zach will be ok with this plan?" Bobby asked.

"I gotta call them, but I think they'd be ok with it," Sam said. Sam looked at him and Dean and ducked his head to try and convince them as he said, "As long as you guys are ok with it…"

Dean leaned closer to him and whispered, "He's not gonna drop this, just so you know."

"Will you actually take the antibiotics if we go there?" Alec asked seriously.

"Yeah as long as you agree to get the screws out," Dean replied.

"Promise me," Alec demanded. He knew if Dean made a promise, then he wouldn't break it.

Dean hesitated, but then replied, "I promise."

"Alright, looks like we're going to Wisconsin," Alec said to Sam.

Sam smiled, "Great! You guys pack and I'll call them."

Sam and Dean both got up, but he and Bobby remained where they were. Bobby gave him a small smile and said, "You look a little better than you did yesterday."

"I know what you're doing," Alec said instead of acknowledging what Bobby had said. "You're kinda bein' an ass, you know that?"

"Is it working?" Bobby asked.

"Maybe a little bit," Alec admitted. "Got me wanting to actually get out of the motel room for a while at least."

"Maybe Wisconsin will help too," Bobby said. "But the best thing is gonna be time, you know that right?"

Alec shrugged, "I guess I do now…"

"You better get to packin'," Bobby said. "Your brothers might leave without you."

"You're comin' too, right?" Alec asked.

"Kid, I think my work here is done," Bobby said.

"What?" Alec asked. "Dean's still sick…"

"Sam's feelin' better now, Dean's gonna get some medicine, and I think you're gonna be ok," Bobby said. "It's gonna take some more time, but you're gonna be alright."

Alec smiled a little and said, "Thanks Bobby."

"Alec, c'mon dude, time to start moving," Dean said. "I'm not packin' all your shit this time."

"He's lying," Alec said to Bobby. "He's been packing for me every time we leave a motel. He thinks I go too slow, which I guess is true. But I can't help that I only pack one thing at a time. I've only got one arm for cryin' out loud."

Bobby chuckled and said, "Go on and help your brother."

"Why do you get everything out of your duffle? We've only been here one night," Dean said. "C'mon, one arm or not you're helpin' this time."

Alec smiled at Bobby before he got up to help pack.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	4. Chapter 4

"Dean, Zach said we could stay with them," Sam said.

Dean ignored him and tossed his bag on the bed. He'd agreed to getting some help, but that was as far as he was going to let this charity for the Winchesters go. They'd stayed with Zach and Chris last time because they really didn't have any other choice, but this time he just needed some antibiotics and Alec didn't need help for a few more days at least so it made sense to hang out away from them. And he just wanted to sleep. He'd slept most of the trip, but he was still tired and his muscles ached from his fever.

Sam sighed and walked back outside. He returned a few minutes later and said, "Alec won't get out of the car."

"Dammit Alec…" Dean muttered, immediately leaving the room. He walked to the car and tapped on the back window. Alec leaned forward slightly and rolled down the window. "Get out of the car," Dean ordered. He usually wasn't so direct with Alec, but he didn't feel good and this was the best he could do.

"This doesn't look like the clinic to me," Alec casually replied.

"We're going to the clinic tomorrow," Dean said, even though Alec already knew this.

"Are you sure? Because I thought the deal was, you would get antibiotics and I would get the screws out of my shoulder. I'm not seein' any antibiotics…" Alec said.

"We're going tomorrow," Dean repeated. He started coughing again and clutched his hand to his chest. It felt like he was trying to rip out his lungs every time he coughed now.

Alec gave him a hard look and refused to move. "What's wrong with going right now?"

"Because I said we're going tomorrow," Dean stated. "Now get your ass outta the car." He just wanted to sleep…

"No."

"Fine, I guess you're sleepin' out here then," Dean said. He turned and headed back inside. Sam looked over at him when he walked in, but frowned when he didn't see Alec. "Our little brother's sleepin' outside tonight." He walked over to his bed and immediately got under the covers. He was starting to shake again he was so cold. He coughed some more, but he knew once he fell asleep he'd get a break from the coughing for a few minutes.

"Are you serious? Dean, let's just go to the clinic now while he still wants to," Sam said. "If we go now, then maybe we can even get him to get an x-ray. An easy to handle Alec is rare when it comes to going to the hospital."

"He's not gonna agree to an x-ray. He just wants me to get some antibiotics," Dean argued.

"You're not really gonna let him sleep outside, are you?" Sam asked. He could tell Sam wasn't going to drop this, and he knew it was more than Alec just sleeping outside.

"Yes."

Sam sighed, grabbed his arm, and forced him out of bed and back outside. He yelped in surprise, but Sam wasn't slowing down. "You two are the two most stubborn idiots I've met…" Sam grumbled. Dean tried to pull out of Sam's grip, but he was too weak and it wasn't working. Sam forced him to sit in the passenger seat and closed the door.

He glanced back and saw that Alec was smirking at him. "Shut up."

"I didn't say anything," Alec replied.

* * *

"I thought you guys weren't coming until tomorrow," Zach said as they walked further into the clinic.

Alec could feel Dean glaring at him, but he ignored his brother. Dean had only gotten worse as they drove to Wisconsin. He tried to act like he was still fine, but the nonstop coughing was hard to ignore. Alec knew he would try to get out of going to the clinic as soon as they got there, which was why he had refused to move from the car.

"Yeah, well, Alec had other plans," Dean grumbled.

"Probably for the best," Zach said. "You don't sound so good…"

"Whatever. Alec needs some x-rays so we can see how soon the screws in his shoulder can come out," Dean said to change the subject.

"This will work out perfectly," Zach replied casually. "You need some x-rays too, so we can all go together."

"I don't need-"

"Yes you do," Sam interrupted Dean. "You have pneumonia and Zach needs to see how bad your lungs look."

"But you'll need to be able to stay still and hold your breath while I take the picture, otherwise we'll have to go to the hospital to get a CT scan," Zach said, leading them into another room.

"Can't you just give me some antibiotics and call it a day?" Dean asked.

Zach chuckled, thinking Dean was joking, and shook his head no. "I should probably get an idea of what's going on before I prescribe something."

Dean looked back at him and glared again. He couldn't help smiling back; he knew Dean wasn't happy, but at least he was finally going to get some medicine.

Alec hung out with Sam while Dean went with Zach to get the scans.

"You ok?" Sam asked after they'd been sitting there for about 10 minutes.

"Yeah, why?" Alec asked back, confused. He'd been doing better since Bobby had hung out with them. It'd been a two day trip to Wisconsin and he was actually starting to feel a little more like himself.

Sam looked over at his leg. He hadn't noticed before, but he was nervously bouncing his leg up and down as they waited. "You seem a little nervous," Sam said.

He immediately forced himself to relax, but admitted, "The smell's starting to get to me…"

"The smell?" Sam asked, confused.

"The antiseptic smell…it brings back memories," Alec said, trying for casual but he knew he was failing. Sam was just looking at him, so he quickly continued, "Just the infirmary at Manticore always smelled like this and the exam rooms…"

"Alec, you don't have to explain," Sam soothed.

Alec shrugged his good shoulder, "There's not much to tell anyway. They just strapped ya down and took blood and samples and I really don't know what else. And then sometimes they injected you with something to see what would happen. The smell just brings it all back." He took a calming breath, and then said, "At least I just need an x-ray instead of an MRI."

"Why no MRI's?" Sam asked.

"Claustrophobic, remember?" Alec asked back.

"Oh yeah," Sam replied, suddenly remembering. "Down in that basement we were trapped in you told me you were claustrophobic."

"Yeah, which makes MRI's difficult. Dr. Carr had to sedate me when he took me to get one," Alec said.

"What? When? Why didn't he get me or Dean?" Sam asked.

"Sam, don't worry about it. I told him to sedate me and to keep you guys out of it. You guys were worried enough as it was," Alec said.

Sam was about to reply, but Dean and Zach came back before he could. Sam got up and quickly helped Dean to the closest chair. He really did look worn out and Alec was almost regretting forcing him to come. But he needed this medicine.

"Ok Alec, your turn," Zach said.

He didn't even think about arguing; Dean was here and he was going to get medicine so he could cooperate for a few minutes. Zach led him to another room and gave him a hospital gown to change into.

"Really?" Alec asked. "Is this really necessary?" He was cooperating, but he didn't want to commit to staying here overnight.

Zack chuckled, "Dean gave me the exact same look. Don't worry, you're not staying overnight. This is only for the x-ray."

"Can't I just take off my shirt?" Alec asked. It was going to be a lot of work to completely change out of his clothes, into the hospital gown, and then back in his clothes after the x-ray was done.

"Alec, it's just easier this way," Zach said. "Do you want me to get Sam so he can help you?"

Alec thought about it, but shook his head no. But his brothers always seemed to be one step ahead of him anyway. There was a knock on the door, and it turned out Sam was on the other side.

"Dean told me about the hospital gown…I thought maybe you could use a little help," Sam quickly explained. "Or I can just go back and wait with Dean if you want me to."

"No, um, I could use some help," Alec admitted. Sam helped him keep his balance as he changed. "Breezy," Alec joked once he was in the hospital gown.

Sam actually laughed, which made him smile. "I forgot you used to be funny," Sam teased.

"Used to be?! Sam, I'm hilarious," Alec replied.

"Yeah, you're a riot," Sam said sarcastically. "Now go get some pictures taken so we can go eat."

"So bossy…" Alec muttered before he started for the door.

"I'll wait in here, ok?" Sam asked, serious this time.

"Thanks Sam," Alec replied.

Zack checked him over and listened to him breathe before he had him stand in front of the x-ray. "You definitely sound better than Dean does," Zack said, leading him back over to the table so he could sit down. "But I don't think you're ready for the screws to come out yet…When did this happen?"

"Um, a couple weeks ago I think?" Alec replied uncertainly. He'd been mostly out of it for a while, so he wasn't sure how long it had been. "I don't know, Sam or Dean could tell you the exact time…"

"Alec, are you ok?" Zack asked.

He hesitated, but then replied honestly, "I'm doin' better."

Zack nodded, "Y'know, I'm always around to talk if you need it."

Alec nodded too, but then asked, "Is it cool if I go change again? As comfortable as this gown is, I think I prefer normal clothes…"

Zack chuckled, "Yeah, you can go change again. But then I need to talk to you and your brothers again."

"Ok," Alec easily replied. He hopped off the bed and walked back to the room where Sam was waiting.

"How'd it go? Does your shoulder feel ok?" Sam asked. Helping him change again.

"Yeah, I'm ok," Alec said. "But Zack thinks it's gonna be a while before I can get the screws out."

"Hey, better safe than sorry," Sam said. "I know it sucks, but-"

"I'm ok, Sam," Alec cut off. "I'm ok with keeping the sling for a little while longer."

Sam chuckled and teased, "Who are you and what have you done with my Alec?"

He broke out into a smile and shoved Sam to the side, grumbling, "Shut up…"

"C'mon, let's go find Dean. I wouldn't be surprised if he was asleep in the waiting room right about now," Sam said.

"I probably should've let him sleep before I pushed for the clinic, huh?" Alec asked, guilt tugging at him for hurting his older brother.

"No, this was the best way," Sam reassured. "He would've found a way outta this if we would've waited."

"Sam, are the antibiotics going to make him better?" Alec asked.

"Yeah, he's gonna be fine a few days," Sam said.

* * *

His brother put up a good fight, but he was just too sick to really put his foot down. Zack didn't even have to push to get them to stay at his place. Sam drove Dean and Alec to Zack's before he went to their motel, checked them out, and grabbed their things.

Dean was passed out on the sofa when he got to Zack's, but somehow Zack had talked him into accepting an IV. He smiled when he saw Abby, Chris's four-year-old daughter, snuggled up against his brother's chest, sleeping.

Sam set their bags down and walked further into the house. He found Zack and Lauren in the kitchen and they both smiled at him when he walked in.

"Alec's out back with Luke if you're looking for him," Zack said.

"I'll find him in a minute," Sam said. "How'd you get Dean on an IV?"

"Alec and Lauren guilted him into it," Zack said with a smile.

"Abby helped too," Lauren said. "She told him it would only hurt for a minute."

"Sam, I know you're worried about them, but Dean's going to bounce back pretty fast now that we've got him some medicine and Alec's shoulder looks pretty good. I just want to wait a little bit before I take out the screws," Zack said. "And it looks like you guys could use a few days of rest and some home cooked meals. Alec looks like he's lost some weight and Dean needs to eat to keep up his strength."

"Yeah, but it was a struggle to get them both here. I just hope I can keep them here for that long," Sam said.

"Let the kids work their magic," Zack said with a smile. "All three of you are pushovers when it comes to them."

* * *

Alec felt better than he had in a long time. Sam and Dean seemed to notice too since they started to hover less than they had been. The guilt and depression still hit him, but he felt like he could move and breathe again.

It also helped that Zack and Lauren kept him and Sam busy. Dean was still on lockdown so he wasn't allowed to help except for babysitting. Sam helped around the house with things that needed fixed and he helped in the clinic.

Zack and Chris helped him with some physical therapy when he wasn't checking people in or doing some simple first aid. His shoulder was starting to do better; he had more movement and Zack had cleared him to take off the sling.

He was at the clinic now, but it was a slow day. He liked it better when it was busy; it gave him less time to think about things if he was busy.

"Hey Alec," Chris greeted as he walked in. "Slow day, huh?"

Alec nodded and leaned back in his chair, "I guess it's wrong of me to wish we were busy…"

Chris chuckled, "Makes the time go by faster if we're busy." Chris sat down in the chair next to him, "There's less time to think about things too…" Alec nodded again, but didn't reply. He didn't know if Chris was talking about him or his own life. "How's your shoulder?" Chris asked to change the subject.

Alec shrugged, "Better than it was. Zack thinks he can take the screws out soon."

"You know, those screws don't have to come out," Chris said.

"I know, but it's safer if we do take them out. If I get thrown into a wall or something and they shift and tear something up, it's going to be a lot worse," Alec said.

"You guys talking about the screws?" Zack asked, suddenly walking in from the back.

"Yeah, I was going to try to convince them to keep the screws in, but I guess in their line of work it makes sense," Chris said.

"You wanna get another picture?" Zack asked him. "I think you're about ready if you want to check."

"You really think I can get them out? Today maybe?" Alec asked back. He didn't want to sound too hopeful, but if he got the screws out, then this whole thing would be over.

"Yeah, I think today might be the day," Zack replied. "But let's get another picture before we call your brothers and move you to the hospital. Sound good?"

Alec quickly nodded and followed Zack back through the halls. He quickly changed and got the x-ray, but then he had to wait while Zack and Chris talked it over. He grabbed his phone while he waited and texted his brothers even though Zack had said they would call once they made a decision.

Dean almost immediately called him back even though he'd said he would text again when Zack answered him.

"Hey," Alec answered after a few rings.

"What'd Zack say? Is this happening?" Dean asked.

"I don't know yet…I kinda jumped the gun since I didn't actually have an answer yet," Alec admitted.

"Me and Sam are on the way, so don't do anything until we get there, ok?"

Alec chuckled, "Well, duh. Zack said we'd have to go to the hospital to get it done."

"Whatever gets 'em out, right? You doin' ok?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I'm good," Alec said. Zack walked in and Alec quickly told his brother, "Hold on a minute, Zack just walked in."

"Dean?" Zack asked knowingly.

Alec nodded, "I couldn't wait. What's the verdict?"

"How do you feel about getting admitted into the hospital for a day or two?" Zack asked back.

Alec smiled, "It sounds a lot better than it usually does."

* * *

"Ok, so I brought you a change of clothes and your pills. Sam brought you a book to read and the laptop if you want to look up some cases," Dean said. "Or, we can just chill and watch TV until they say it's time."

Alec rolled his eyes at his brother, but he was really happy he and Sam were both there. He really didn't care what they did since they only had to wait 24 hours before his surgery, but he didn't want Sam or Dean to be bored.

"I'm already hungry…" Alec muttered instead of answering him.

"Well, you still have 12 more hours before the surgery, so try not to think about it," Dean said.

His nurse walked in before he could argue more. She checked his stats and wrote on his chart before she changed out his IV bag. He dozed off after a while; he hated waiting, and if he was asleep then time seemed to go by faster.

"Hey, c'mon kiddo, wake up," Dean said a while later, shaking his good shoulder to wake him up. "Zack's here. They're ready to take you to surgery."

He rubbed his eyes and sort of sat up, but Sam pushed the button on his bed to help him out. "You ready?" Sam asked him softly.

"Yeah, I just kinda forgot what was going on," Alec said.

"We're going to go ahead and get you prepped for surgery, ok?" Zack asked him.

He nodded, and then Dean reassured, "We'll be right here when you get back."

He was still kind of out of it since he'd just woken up, but he nodded again and let Zack do his thing. It was funny since he woke up a little more once he was in the OR and they were about to put him to sleep again.

"You ready to do this?" Zack asked him.

Alec smiled, "Shouldn't I be asking you that? All I gotta do is sleep."

"No, you need to do more than that. Surgery can have complications so you better not go into any lights you see, got it?" Zack asked him.

"I'm pretty sure my brothers would kill me if I tried to do that," Alec replied.

"Yeah, well, I _know_ your brother would kill me if you did that," Zack argued, "So it'd be best if you just didn't scare any of us and just get through this without any complications, ok?"

"Ok, I'll do my best," Alec said, leaning his head back against the table.

Zack nodded to the anesthesiologist who bought the mask closer to his nose and mouth. "Take deep breaths and count backwards from 10," he said.

"Zack," Alec said before the man covered his face with the mask. It was a last minute freak out that had his heart monitor going crazy. "If something does happen, don't let them do anything crazy, ok?" He didn't want anything to happen to his brothers and if he died, they would definitely not handle it well.

"Alec, everything's going to be fine," Zack reassured.

Alec nodded and let the mask settle over his nose and mouth. He took a few deep breaths, the room went out of focus, and his eyes drifted shut.

* * *

Zack walked in and checked Alec for the third time that hour. "He's alright," Dean tried to reassure. "He just takes a while to shake off the anesthesia."

"I just want to make sure he's ok," Zack said.

"Go ahead and have a seat," Dean said. "He's gonna be a while."

"You seem pretty calm about this. Usually patients wake up pretty soon after surgery, but it's been three hours already," Zack said. "I thought he'd bounce back a lot faster than this."

"This is just how Alec is. I was freaked out the first few times, but now I know he just needs time," Dean said. "He'll try to fight it while you've got him under, but once the surgery is over he takes his sweet time coming back. Besides, if we were worried, Sam wouldn't be asleep right now."

"He's still halfway on Alec's bed. That makes me think you guys are worried, but you're trying to hide it," Zack said.

"I'm not worried about him comin' off the anesthesia…he…um…he's goin' through something right now," Dean said. "He's doing better, but it still hits him."

Zack nodded, "It hits Chris too. Guilt and depression, right?"

"Yeah," Dean said. "What's going on with Chris?"

"Casey died of cancer. He's a doctor and thought he should've noticed sooner or found a way to save her," Zack said. "He blames himself."

"Alec does too," Dean said. "I don't know how to help him."

"You just gotta be there for him," Zack said.

Dean nodded, "I just wish there was more I could do. I'm his big brother, I'm supposed to look out for him. I should've found a way to protect him from this…"

"You can only do so much," Zack said.

Alec let out a weak cough and frowned. Dean instantly dropped the conversation and focused on his brother. Sam even woke up and looked to Alec too. Dean ran his hand through his hair to let him know he was there and Alec turned slightly towards him.

"Hey kiddo, can you hear me?" Dean asked.

Alec nodded and slurred, "Yeah…jus' hate goin' under…"

"I know, but it'll wear off soon," Dean said.

"Can I have some water?" Alec asked.

Sam quickly reached out for the little cup of water and held it for Alec. He took a few drinks before he relaxed against his pillow again.

"You'll have to stay overnight, but then you should be good to go," Zack said. "You'll still need to rest for a few days, but then you should be able to move around more."

Alec nodded again and slowly closed his eyes. Dean ruffled his hair and said to Zack, "We'll bring him to your place as soon as he's released, and then we'll leave in a couple days if that's ok?"

"Take all the time you need," Zack said, clapping his shoulder before he left the room.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey guys, sorry for the long wait on this story! Hope you like this chapter!_

* * *

"Alec, it's time to sleep," Dean grumbled into his pillow. He could hear Alec doing pushups from across the room for no reason. They'd just finished a hunt and he definitely knew it wasn't time to get up yet. He and Sam were exhausted and Alec should be too, but his little brother could never sleep after a hunt.

"Can't sleep," Alec grunted. "Too much energy."

"It's…" He looked at the alarm clock and groaned, "It's 3am! Go to sleep…"

"I will later," Alec said without stopping.

Dean ducked his head under his pillow and groaned again. Alec had moved from not wanting to do anything to wanting to hunt nonstop; from no energy to nonstop energy. It was exhausting. He and Sam just couldn't keep up with him.

"Dean," Alec said after a few minutes.

"What?" Dean growled.

"When's the next hunt?" Alec asked. "Do we have any leads?"

"If I tell you, will you go to sleep?" Dean asked back.

"Maybe," Alec replied. "But then again I might be too excited to sleep…"

"Then I'm not telling you," Dean slurred, sleep pulling him under again. But his bed bounced suddenly and his eyes flew open. Alec was stretched out next to him, looking at him expectantly. "What?"

"What's the next hunt?" Alec asked, an innocent smile gracing his face. "I'll leave you alone if you tell me."

"Why can't you bother Sam?" Dean grumbled.

"Because he's a heavier sleeper than you are," Alec said. "He only wakes up if I start yelling or if I turn the TV up too loud."

"Vampires, that's our next hunt. Now will you please go to sleep?" Dean begged. "I'm not a heavy sleeper and I need more than two hours before we head out in the morning."

"I could drive you know," Alec pointed out. "You could sleep on the way. And maybe I'll be tired tomorrow night if I drive all day."

"No."

"Oh, c'mon Dean. You never let me drive," Alec whined.

"Yes I do," Dean argued.

"For maybe a couple hours, but never all day," Alec said.

"Go to sleep."

"You're no fun," Alec muttered, getting up again. Dean could hear him start his pushups again, but he was being a little quieter. Maybe he could catch a couple hours even though Alec seemed like he wasn't going to even try. He was going to have to have another serious talk with Alec again. The kid needed to be less extreme. He didn't want his little brother to sleep all the time, but he needed to sleep at least a little bit. But he'd have to work on it later; right now, he was going to sleep.

* * *

Dean woke up to the delicious smell of bacon and the even more enticing smell of coffee. He looked up from his pillow to see Alec at the stove and a steaming cup of coffee on the table just waiting for him. Sam was already up and sipping his own cup of coffee while Alec cooked them breakfast.

"This your way of apologizing?" Dean asked, slowly making his way towards his cup.

Alec gave him a sheepish look and nodded, "I know I've been annoying since I can't sleep, and I thought I should do something nice to make up for it."

"I just wish you could sleep again," Dean said. He sat down and pulled his coffee closer to himself. Just the smell was helping him wake up.

Sam yawned widely and nodded his agreement. "Maybe we could try some warm milk before bed tonight. That's supposed to help."

"I won't say no to milk," Alec said, walking over and setting a pile of bacon in the middle of the table. He went back to the stove and grabbed another skillet full of scrambled eggs before he came back. "I'll try just about anything really."

"Do you feel tired?" Dean asked.

"No," Alec said with a shrug. "I just know I should sleep. I don't have shark DNA like Max does. I'm mostly cat so I enjoy taking naps, but every time I try to sleep my brain won't shut off."

"Well, we're gonna leave after breakfast and head for Kentucky. There's a vampire nest in a city called Newport, so that should take your mind off of things," Dean said. "It shouldn't be too hard to find 'em, but we'll have to restock our Dead Man's Blood. We've only got a little bit left and I'm not sure how big the nest is."

"I can do that," Alec said. "I'll find the morgue once we get there."

"We'll scout out where they could be holed up after we get the blood," Dean said. He stuffed his mouth with bacon and sat back. He didn't think this hunt was going to be too hard, but he'd thought that before. But they'd been on quite of few hunts since they had visited Max, and none of them had been that hard. If he could just get Alec to sleep again, then they'd be back to normal.

"I'll hang out at the college to see if anyone knew the victims," Sam said. "They've all been college students, right?"

"Yeah," Dean said. "And one of 'em, Christy I think is her name, she thought she saw her boyfriend the other day after he'd been missing for a couple months. In the report she said he was acting weird before he took off again."

"Ok, I'll try to find her," Sam said.

"Once Alec gets the blood, we'll look around the area," Dean said. "They'll probably be in some abandoned house or something. They usually live outside of town, but we'll look around, cover our bases."

Alec nodded, "Sounds like we've got a plan."

* * *

"Guys, I don't think this place is that great for me," Alec said, walking back into their motel room, slightly breathless. They had driven all day and all Sam wanted to do was sleep, but Alec had gone out to get the blood they needed and he wanted to make sure he was ok before he turned in.

"Why?" Dean asked, getting up and taking the jar of blood from their little brother.

"A group of guys caught sight of my barcode and started chasing me," Alec said. "They didn't get close, but they were yellin' about transgenics. They knew what I was and they didn't like it…"

"They knew about transgenics way out here?" Sam asked. He got up and crossed the room to check Alec over. He'd said they hadn't gotten close, but Alec liked to hide things from them.

"Yeah," Alec said. "Max said towns were popping up where people were banding together who're against transgenics. She said Rocky and Mole had run into a town down in Utah where they were hunting, and they were chased out before they could do anything. Mole hadn't even shown his face the entire time. They'd just seen Rocky's barcode and knew what he was. Rocky said they were lucky to get outta there alive."

"We need to find a way to cover up your barcode," Dean muttered.

"Me and Max lasered it off, but it's back again," Alec said. "It's genetically encoded into our DNA so we can't get rid of it."

Sam took a step back finding Alec was actually fine. But his little brother was shaken; he hadn't even acknowledged the check, and most of the time he complained very loudly about them being overprotective and how he was a super soldier that could handle bumps and bruises without all the babying. And Alec was talking as fast as he could, which meant he was definitely freaked out.

"Maybe it was just that group," Sam tried to soothe. "Maybe it wasn't the whole town."

Alec shook his head and walked over to sit on the edge of the bed, "I don't know…I usually don't have that kind of luck…"

"It'll be alright," Dean said, walking by Alec and clapping him on the shoulder. "Tomorrow we'll find the vampires, and then we'll get outta this town. Try to get some sleep."

Alec huffed and mumbled, "I don't have that kind of luck either…"

* * *

"Dean! Where the Hell have you been?" Alec shouted into the phone. "I've been calling you forever!"

"Dude, I was in the shower," Dean grumbled.

"For three hours?!" Alec exclaimed. He was sweaty and out of breath, but running from the cops for three hours would do that. He had just wanted some food before Sam and Dean woke up and started the hunt. He'd left them a note that he was going out, but they should've been freaking out that he'd been gone for so long. Maybe they had slept in since they weren't getting much sleep with him around.

"I don't know, I left my phone somewhere. Why? What's up? Why do you sound funny?" Dean asked.

"I'm runnin' from the cops! I don't know what happened, I swear!" Alec said as fast as he could. "I was just buyin' somethin' from the store when this guy slammed my face against the counter. I wasn't even buyin' anything sketchy. I was just hungry, so I was getting some doughnuts and some milk even though Sam would totally not approve of the doughnuts."

"Alec, slow down and talk to me, kiddo," Dean said, still remaining calm.

"He said I was gettin' sloppy and cuffed my wrist before I snapped out of it and threw him off. I ran before he got back up, but he must've had 20 cops on my ass before I even made it to the parking lot. I don't even know where they all came from in this stupid, Podunk town," Alec grumbled.

"Really? There's that many?" Dean asked, curiously.

"Dean! Not the time! Come get me!" Alec whined, making Dean chuckle on the other end. "Dean! I'm serious! If these guys catch me, I'm done for! I told you this was a transgenic hatin' town and I was right. They're gonna catch me, and then sell my body parts! They could get thousands-no, millions of dollars for me! I'm a seriously hot commodity around here so you should be taking this very seriously. Otherwise, why would they be chasing me for this long? Most people just give up after a while, but-"

"Alec," Dean said, laughing. "You are seriously freaking out right now. Just calm down, ok? I'm gonna come get you before they can do anything."

"Get Sam and all our things. We gotta go. I don't care about the hunt. I like my life too much to be sold on the black market," Alec said, trying to catch his breath.

"If this is a joke, I'm gonna be seriously pissed," Dean grumbled. "You've got me packin' your shit again, and I told you I wasn't doing that anymore."

"It's not a joke! You think I would joke about this?" Alec exclaimed. He could hear the sirens picking up again and quickly took off. He was going at a steady pace since he needed to save his energy for when he'd have to sprint. He knew he'd have to sprint again since this had been going on for far too long. It was like the cops were just playing with him.

Dean took a deep breath and reassured, "Alright, alright, I believe you. We're on our way, ok?"

"Wait," Alec stopped his big brother before he could hang up.

"What?"

"Can you stop for drive through before you get me? I'm still starving…" Alec muttered.

Dean laughed, "Yeah, I'll grab you something to eat."

"And drink," Alec tacked on.

"See, this is the kind of thing that makes me think you're joking," Dean said. "If you were really running for your life, would you actually be ordering food right now?"

"Dean," Alec whined again.

Dean chuckled, "Alright little brother, we'll be there soon."

"Track my phone. I'm all over the place and I can't really meet you anywhere because they already know what I'm gonna do. I don't know how, but they do," Alec said.

"Hang in there, ok? I'm on my way."

* * *

Alec was bleeding from his side and up by his left eyebrow and he was covered in sweat when they finally found him. Dean screeched to a stop next to him, and he quickly dove into the backseat.

"What took you so long?" Alec complained as he peeled out of the parking lot.

"What happened to your side?" Sam asked in concern. "Dean said you'd gotten your head slammed, but I thought you'd be fine otherwise."

"Yeah, well, I was fine 15 minutes ago," Alec grumbled. Dean saw him searching for something under the seats in the rearview mirror. "One of the cops got really close and told me to stop. I didn't, so he started shooting and one of 'em grazed me."

"That looks like more than a graze to me," Sam argued. "Put some pressure on it."

"Ok Mom," Alec replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes and ignoring Sam. He pulled something up from under the front seat and set it on the seat next to him.

"Alec, we'll take care of it a few towns over," Sam said, an edge to his voice. Dean glanced back in the rearview mirror to see that Alec was shedding his shirt and pulling supplies out from what he assumed was a first aid kit.

"No way, Sammy," Alec refused. "This guy is relentless. We're gonna have cops on our ass in just a few minutes. I don't know how he's doin' it, but the most time I've had as a break was five minutes. Where's the food? Did you bring me anything?"

Sam sighed, but passed back the brown bag full of hamburgers and fries. Dean knew how much Alec could eat, and when the kid said he was starving, then he better break the bank to get him some food. Not only that, but Alec had used a lot of energy running from the cops, and with his metabolism it was dangerous for him to go for much longer without food.

"We got you a chocolate shake too, but you only get that if you take some pills," Dean said. A bleeding, starving Alec meant he needed to take his tryptophan unless he wanted to watch his little brother have some seizures again.

"You guys are so annoying," Alec grumbled under his breath. He hissed a second later though, and Dean saw that he was pouring peroxide over his side to clean out his wound.

"Dude!" Dean yelled. "Not in Baby!"

"I'll clean her later, chill," Alec shot back.

"So, who's following you? Is it really just the cops that know too much about transgenics?" Sam asked before they could start arguing again.

"Turns out it wasn't a cop in the store," Alec said through clenched teeth. "It was FBI. I saw him again later with the jacket on. And he seriously hates me. He was not going to give up the chase…which is why we have three cop cars on our tail."

He immediately checked his mirror and saw three cop cars in the distance. "Shit," he breathed out.

"Wait…what's this FBI guy look like?" Sam asked.

Alec shrugged, "Average guy. Dark skin with a goatee and pretty much a shaved head. Deepish voice too."

"You think it's Henriksen?" Dean asked, shooting a side glance over at Sam.

"Sounds like him. Besides, who else do you know that would go to these lengths to get us?" Sam asked back.

Dean huffed, "You mean besides half the monsters we hunt."

"Yeah besides-"

"Shit! Could you not hit every pothole right now?" Alec yelled.

"What the Hell are you doing?!" Dean yelled back, looking away from the road to glare at his little brother. He had a suture kit sitting next to him and he was in the middle of a stitch on his side, blood leaking down to pool on his leather seat. "Alec! Seriously, just wrap it and we'll take care of it once we lose the cops."

"Just watch the potholes and I'll be done in a minute," Alec replied, not even listening to him.

"New rule, if you're bleeding in my car, you have to put a towel down. I don't want blood stainin' my leather seats," Dean grumbled.

"Dean, they're getting a lot closer," Sam warned.

"I see 'em," Dean said, rolling his eyes. One of the cop cars rammed into their back bumper, jarring them. He sped up, and quickly glanced back at his little brother. Alec was clenching his jaw against the pain and holding his side. "You good?"

"Ye-Yeah, I'm good," Alec breathed out.

"Don't crash," Sam warned, suddenly climbing over the bench seat.

"What're you-" He started to ask, but he looked back and figured it out before he finished. Sam reached out towards Alec and took over stitching up his side.

"I'll give you this," Sam said to Alec. "This is pretty deep, so I guess it's good to go ahead and stitch it up. But it's still probably the dumbest move that I can think of to stitch yourself up in a moving car."

"I'm going to ignore most of what you said, except for the part where you said this was a good idea," Alec said, his voice slightly shaking in pain.

"Sammy, hurry up," Dean said. The cop who had rear ended them a second ago was back for more and the SUV was pulling up beside him. They were slammed into on their left side, but he managed to keep his wheels on the road. "C'mon baby, don't fail me now…"

"I've got five more stitches," Sam said. Dean saw Alec keeping Sam steady with his hands on his shoulders. "You still ok?" Sam asked Alec.

"I'm good," Alec whispered.

"Shit," Dean breathed out, catching sight of the passenger in the SUV.

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"Henriksen is right beside us…" Dean muttered. He looked for anywhere that would give him a clean get away, but there was nothing.

"Just keep the car steady for another couple seconds," Sam said. "Just two more…"

"Hold on, Sam," Dean said.

They were hit again, his side mirror taken clean off. He looked in the rearview mirror to make sure his brothers were ok, and Alec gave him a small thumb's up to help reassure him.

"I'm coming back over," Sam said after another minute.

Dean glanced back at Alec again and saw that he was wrapping his side with gauze. At least that was over. Sam was back in his seat and Alec was pulling on his shirt and buckling up in the seat behind Sam, so maybe they would be able to get out of this relatively unscathed. Henriksen was still right next to them and he couldn't shake him, but he'd gotten rid of the other cop somehow, so that was a plus.

Unfortunately, their luck didn't improve from there. They were flying through town, not really paying attention, when they came up to an intersection. He knew they were in trouble just before it happened, but he didn't have enough time to slam on the breaks or even swerve out of the way. The streets had been deserted during their escape up until that point, but one car t-boned them, while at the same time another car t-boned Henriksen on the other side.

They spun out of control once they cleared the SUV. He tried to regain control of his baby, but they were just going too fast. He saw the light pole coming towards them, but he couldn't stop. Luckily, they were going to hit the light pole on his side of the car, so his brothers should be ok.

His head slammed against his window when they suddenly had a jarring stop. His vision was going in and out and he felt like he couldn't move.

"Dean…" Sam's voice floated through. He sounded muffly and weird; he must have a concussion. Sam gently shook his shoulder and said again, "Dean, c'mon man, wake up."

He groaned, but he couldn't focus. He just needed a few minutes to get himself back together. Sam turned away from him, in what seemed like slow motion, and checked on Alec.

"'M alright," Alec slurred, his voice thick. He'd taken the brunt of the collision with the other car, so it was good to hear his voice. He wanted to turn around to check on him, but that was going to have to wait until he could get the world to stop spinning.

"Dean, we gotta go," Sam said in panic. His brother shook his shoulder to try to get him back, and he felt the urgency, but he couldn't focus. "Alec, can you get out?"

He heard something slam against the door, but Alec growled and said, "It's too damaged. The other side is blocked by the light…What about your side?"

"Smashed," Sam said. "We'll have to go out a-"

"Shit!" Alec yelled as glass shattered.

Dean forced himself back to reality. He looked back just in time to see Alec being dragged out of the back window. It wasn't a cop that was dragging him out, but a normal looking guy. But the guy slammed Alec against the side of the car with inhuman strength. Alec kicked him back, but two more came at him. Fangs appeared, suddenly confirming that these were the vampires they had originally been looking for.

"Sam, move!" Dean yelled when he saw the vampire bite down on Alec's neck. He needed to help his little brother, even though he was pretty far out of it.

But they never got a chance to help him. Another window shatter and Sam was pulled out of his car, and then he was. He tried to get up to help his brothers, but a boot came at his face and he turned too late to dodge the blow. Pain spiked from his left cheek; the force of the kick threw him back. His vision, which was still swimming from the wreck, started to darken on the edges. He knew he was going to lose consciousness, and there was nothing he could do about it.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	6. Chapter 6

Sam was slow coming back to consciousness. It took him a minute to remember everything that had happened. Alec had been running from the cops, they'd picked him up and taken off, Henriksen was right next to them and about to catch them, and then they'd been hit by a car. He knew Dean had been out of it and Alec had been hit pretty good before one of the vampires had gotten him. He and Dean had been trying to get to Alec to help him, but they'd been taken out before they could get to him.

He shook his head to try to clear it the rest of the way. It was dark, wherever he was, and it took him some time to adjust. He blinked a few times and slowly pushed himself up. He was in what looked like an abandoned apartment, which was strange. There was furniture, but it was covered in sheets. There were big holes in the walls and parts of the ceiling were missing.

He very slowly got to his feet, but steadied himself on the dusty coffee table. He scanned the room to try to find where his brothers were. He almost missed the boots sticking out from what looked like a hallway. He ran and breathed out in relief when he saw the ripped jeans and the barcode on the back of his little brother's neck.

"Alec, hey," Sam called out, dropping to his knees besides his brother. He carefully shook Alec's shoulder and gently turned him over. There was a trail of blood coming from a bite in his neck from the vampire fangs. He had a lump on his head and some other cuts and bruises, but surprisingly his stitches from earlier had held. "Alec, c'mon, we gotta find Dean," Sam urged.

Alec finally frowned and groaned, coming back to consciousness. "Sam?" Alec weakly asked, looking at him in confusion.

"It's me," Sam reassured. "You good? Can you move?"

"I'm good," Alec breathed out.

"You're getting worse at lying," Sam muttered, helping his little brother sit up.

"Am not," Alec immediately argued. He winced and put his hand against his neck, over where the vampire had bit him. "Shit…that hurts…"

Sam gently gripped Alec's chin and turned his head so he could get a better look. He wanted to find Dean, but he wanted to make sure Alec was ok first. "You look pretty pale…" Sam said. "And we're gonna have to clean these…"

"How can you even tell?" Alec asked, giving him a side glance. "It's pretty dark in here and your ordinary eyes probably can't see anything."

Sam sighed in annoyance, "Alright, you're fine for now. But I'm looking you over once we get outta this."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Alec said. Sam got up and reached down to help Alec. His little brother got up, but immediately collapsed against him. "Right knee," Alec forced out before he could even ask.

Sam bent down and quickly inspected Alec's knee. There was blood staining his jeans that he should've seen before. Alec hissed in pain when he hit more than one injured area. "There's metal stuck in your leg…probably from the crash…" He ripped Alec's jeans at the knee and found another piece of metal imbedded lower down at his calf. He had two big pieces stuck in his leg and they had no way to get them out. "This looks pretty bad."

"Great, just what we need," Alec muttered.

"Can you walk?" Sam asked, looking up at his little brother in concern. Alec tried putting weight on his leg, but took in a sharp breath and quickly shook his head no. He stood up and wrapped his arm around Alec's waist.

"Any idea where Dean is?" Alec asked, trying to ignore the pain.

"No, I was gonna look for him next," Sam said. He looked around for a good spot where he could hide Alec and come back for him after he found Dean.

"I'm good," Alec reassured, seeing his look. "I can walk with some help."

"Alec, I don't want you to damage your leg any more than it already is," Sam said.

"'S just a scratch," Alec waved off. Sam shook his head, but slowly started walking with Alec. "At least this one isn't because of the hunt," Alec said after a few minutes of walking through random hallways.

"Alec, your leg is still hurt because of the hunt," Sam pointed out.

"No, it was because of the wreck," Alec argued.

"No," Sam drew out. "We only wrecked because the vamps crashed into us."

"Sam, I'm having another bad hunt…can you just give me this one?" Alec asked.

"Hey, we've had a few good ones in between the bad ones," Sam said. "You don't mind ghosts anymore."

"Ghosts still suck," Alec grumbled.

"Some of them have been simple hunts," Sam said.

"Yeah…This one's pretty messy though," Alec said. "Who's this guy that was chasing me again?"

"Henriksen. He's this FBI guy that's been after me and Dean for a long time," Sam said. "He's almost caught us a few times, but somehow we've always gotten away."

"And I got mixed up for Dean," Alec muttered. "At least this time the cops weren't after me because I'm a transgenic."

"Yeah, instead they were after you for your big brother's murder charges," Sam said.

"What?" Alec asked, stopping to face him. "What murder charges?"

"Long story, Alec," Sam said. "Let's focus on finding Dean and I'll tell you about it while you're resting."

"I don't need to rest. I just need to stay off my leg for a few days," Alec argued.

"Once we get that metal out, it's gonna take more than a few days," Sam said. "Especially since you've already lost some blood."

"Sam, you worry too much," Alec said with a sigh.

"You don't worry enough," Sam shot back.

"I'm worried about Dean though," Alec admitted.

"Me too," Sam said. "But we'll find him."

* * *

Where the Hell was he? Where were his brothers? He couldn't remember what had happened, but he knew they were in danger. His head was pounding and he felt nauseas; he felt like he was going to throw up so he quickly turned over just in case.

He rested his forehead on his arm as he waited for everything to stop spinning. He had a bad concussion, that much he knew for sure, but when he tried to think what caused it, it was foggy. The last thing he remembered was being worried about Alec when he came back with dead man's blood. Alec had been freaked out because some guys had found out he was a transgenic and had gone after him. He wanted to find a way to get rid of Alec's barcode, but the best they could do was slap a Band-Aid over it.

He turned when he heard footsteps. They didn't sound far, and he knew he needed to get himself together. If Alec was after dead man's blood, then they were hunting vampires. They might be in the nest right now, even though he couldn't remember how they got there. He hoped the footsteps belonged to one of his brothers, but he couldn't tell.

He found out immediately though, that it wasn't Sam or Alec that was in the room with him.

Henriksen ran towards him and he couldn't move fast enough to even sit up before he got there. Cuffs snapped around his left wrist, but surprisingly Henriksen snapped the other end around his own wrist.

"Now this is how this is going to go, Dean," Henriksen said. "We're gonna find my agent, then your brother, and then you're going to jail. And after all that's done, I am going to celebrate."

"Bite me," Dean breathed out. Not his best comeback, especially since it didn't really make sense, but he would work on it. He needed to get his head clear.

"Get up. We've got a lot to do today," Henriksen said. He tugged on his arm, and reluctantly, he carefully got to his feet. He was so dizzy, he really was going to throw up now.

He turned away from Henriksen and threw up all over the floor. He felt terrible; all he wanted to do was sleep. Well, sleep and find his brothers.

"What doesn't make sense to me is, why here? I could see how the crash would work in your favor, but why the abandoned apartments? And why split up?" Henriksen asked, ignoring the fact that he'd just puked all over the floor.

"Wait…what happened?" Dean asked. He was lost; it just now dawned on his that he had no idea why Henriksen was there or how he'd found them. But Henriksen was also talking about a crash and abandoned apartments…he had no idea what was going on.

"And where did this look alike come from?" Henriksen asked, ignoring his question.

"Picked up another brother…" Dean muttered without thinking. He should be trying to protect Alec, and keep him hidden from Henriksen, but his brain wasn't connecting fast enough still.

"Well, looks like he gets to go to jail too," Henriksen said.

"Where'd you say we are?" Dean asked. He tried to keep up as Henriksen started walking for the hallway. He was staggering more than walking, but he didn't throw up again, so that was good. "And why'd you handcuff me to yourself?"

"You're a slippery guy, Dean. I've lost you too many times now to take any chances," Henriksen said.

It was slowly coming back to him; Alec's phone call, Henriksen chasing them, a wreck… "What about my car?" Dean asked in panic. "What did you do with my car?"

"Called a tow truck," Henriksen said. "Your car was totaled, so you're lucky your buddies put you in their car."

"My buddies…" Dean muttered. He looked up in alarm when he realized the man meant the vampires; the ones that had bitten Alec. "Shit." He looked around wildly for any sign of his brothers. "Shit. Shit. Shit…" He muttered when he didn't see anything but broken cabinets and a fridge that was on its side.

He took a deep breath to try to calm down. As long as the vampire had only bitten Alec, then they were ok. The vampire would need to give Alec its blood for Alec to become a vampire. He really needed to find his brothers.

Henriksen gave him a funny look, but he knew the man wouldn't believe him if he told him what was really going on. He just needed to find Sam and Alec, and then he would lose Henriksen once he knew they were ok.

"Let's keep moving," Henriksen said. "We don't have a lot of daylight left, and I'd like to be done with this before morning."

Dean didn't argue for now. His goal lined up with Henriksen's, and until that changed, he would cooperate.

* * *

His leg was killing him. He was trying not to let it show, but he knew he wasn't doing a very good job. Sam shot him worried looks every so often, and tried to get him to take a break every time they made it to a new room. He didn't want to stop though; they hadn't found Dean yet and that was worrying him more than his leg.

He looked back to check their progress, but he growled in frustration when he saw they hadn't gone very far. But then he sighed when he saw the blood trail he was leaving behind. "Sam…"

"You wanna sit down?" Sam immediately asked.

"No, look," Alec said, nodding back so Sam would look. Sam turned to see what he wanted, but then looked back at him in confusion. "I'm leaving a trail for anyone to follow," Alec said. "I'm gonna mess everything up."

"Alec, those vampires could find us even if we weren't leaving a trail," Sam tried to reassure. "They've got our scent, so it's not a big deal. The problem is that you're bleeding enough to leave a trail…"

"That's the least of our worries," Alec muttered under his breath.

"What if you just sat down while I searched this floor, and then I'll come back and we'll go to the next floor," Sam tried.

"No," Alec breathed out. His leg was throbbing and was starting to shake. He gasped suddenly and looked up at Sam in panic.

"What? What is it?" Sam asked, scanning him to see what was wrong.

"I-I didn't take my pills," Alec said in shock. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten about them; he knew he needed them after running from the cops, and Sam and Dean knew it too since they'd gotten him a milkshake. A milkshake that he hadn't been able to drink.

"Is it happening? Are you about to have one?" Sam asked, trying to remain calm for his sake. He could tell his big brother wanted to freak out, but he couldn't yet.

"No, it's not happening yet," Alec reassured. "But I don't feel right. I feel too hot and kinda sick to my stomach." He knew he sounded young, but he didn't care. He hated the seizures; they scared him more than anything else since he didn't have any control during them. And then he felt so weak afterwards.

Sam put the back of his hand against his forehead and frowned, "You've got a pretty high fever, especially since you lost quite a bit of blood…You're usually cold when you lose blood."

"What're we gonna do?" Alec asked, his voice small. He knew Sam would know what to do though.

"Stay calm, ok? It's not gonna help if we panic," Sam said. "They haven't started yet, so we still have time to look for Dean. Once they start, we'll hunker down and wait for Dean to find us. As soon as we're back together, then we'll get outta here and get some milk, ok?"

He swallowed hard, but he nodded. He felt better knowing Sam had a plan, but he'd feel even better if Dean was there too. "What about the vampires?" Alec asked.

"We'll find a weapon so we can protect ourselves, but as soon as Dean gets here, we're leaving," Sam said. "We'll get someone else on the case since we're going to need some time to recover."

"I'm sorry," Alec said miserably. "I should've taken some as soon as I got in the car."

Sam turned towards him and cupped his face with his hands, "Alec, this is not your fault. None of this is your fault, ok? And we're going to get outta this in one piece."

He nodded again and tried to calm down. Sam was right, it wouldn't do any good to panic.

* * *

Sam felt the panic rising, but he had to hold on. Alec needed him to be the one in control right now, so that's what he was going to do. Most of the time it felt like Alec didn't hardly need them. He was stronger than they were and he was smarter than he and Dean would ever be. But there were times, times like this, when Alec needed him and some small part of him felt good to be needed. He didn't want Alec to have seizures, but he would take care of him if he did.

But he could feel the heat pouring off of his little brother. His arm was nearly burning from the contact around his waist, which was a very bad sign. He couldn't feel the tremors yet, but he knew they were coming. Alec knew it too; his little brother was scared and he had no way to help him.

"Everything's gonna be ok," Sam soothed. Only a few things actually scared Alec, and this was one of them. He wished Dean was here; Dean would be able to comfort Alec better than he could. "How's your leg feeling?" Sam asked to try to distract him.

"Hurts," Alec admitted, with his head down.

He pulled Alec closer to his side and kept up their steady pace. He just had to find Dean, and then they could get out of there. Maybe he could save his brother from having seizures again.

"Tell me if you need to stop," Sam said, even though he knew he wouldn't.

"Sam?" Alec asked after they had cleared another apartment. All of the apartments had been empty so far, but they'd only made it through three. There were four on this floor, so after their next one they were going to go down a floor.

"Yeah?" Sam asked back.

"Why were the vampires out in the daylight?" Alec asked. "It was pretty bright today and I thought the sun hurt them."

"My Dad said it was more like a really bad sunburn," Sam explained. "It hurts and normally they don't go out in the sun, but I guess they made an exception."

"Lucky us," Alec muttered.

"But they're keeping it dark in here. See how all the windows are covered?" Sam asked, pointing to the boarded up windows.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Alec said.

He felt the tremor that crept up Alec's spine, but tried to keep his little brother distracted. "But dead man's blood will slow them down. You've gotta cut off their heads to kill them." Alec already knew this, but it would hopefully help to talk about the hunt.

"Too bad we don't have our machetes," Alec said, following his lead and ignoring his tremor.

"We'll find something around here that'll work," Sam said.

"How mad do you think Dean will be about the Impala?" Alec asked.

Sam couldn't help but laugh, "Oh he's gonna be pissed."

"At least he won't be mad about the seats anymore," Alec said with a small smile.

"I don't know, if it has something to do with his car, then he doesn't usually forget," Sam warned.

"I don't think he can be mad at me," Alec said. "At least not for long."

"That's because you're the youngest," Sam said, ruffling Alec's hair. He walked them through the last apartment and headed for the stairs to go down. But the stairs were blocked with a cement pillar. He and Alec probably could have moved it if they weren't injured.

"Guess we gotta go up," Alec said.

"I hope Dean's not down there…" Sam muttered. Another tremor shot up Alec's spine, making him gasp in pain. He massaged his little brother's shoulder and soothed, "It's ok, try not to think about it."

"We better get a move on," Alec forced out. "That one was stronger than the first one."

"Ok, lean on me some more so I can help you up the stairs," Sam said. He expected Alec to argue, but his little brother knew he had a time limit. "We just gotta get up these stairs…" Alec leaned on him some more and hopped up the first step.

* * *

"They aren't up here," Dean grumbled. He was impatient to find his brothers, but Henriksen was being way too thorough. Henriksen thought his brothers were hiding, even though if they saw him like this, then they wouldn't just hide and stay safe. They would jump out and take down Henriksen so they could get out of there.

"I know you," Henriksen said. "And you've made an escape too many times for me to take any chances this time."

"You have no idea what's going on here," Dean said.

"You gonna tell me about the monsters again?" Henriksen sarcastically asked.

"Can we just move on to the next floor?" Dean asked back impatiently. The longer he went without knowing if Sam and Alec were ok, the more worried he got.

Henriksen moved on without saying another word, which was fine with him. As soon as he'd remembered everything that had happened, he'd told the other man that it had been vampires that grabbed them. Henriksen didn't care and didn't want to listen, so he would just focus on finding his brothers.

They headed for the stairs, but he froze when he saw Sam and Alec about halfway up.

"Sam!" Dean called out, instantly running for his brothers. But he forgot about being cuffed to Henriksen. He yelped in surprise as he was suddenly yanked back, but Henriksen's eyes widened in surprise when his weight pulled him forward.

"Dean!" Sam yelled in panic, seeing him lose his balance.

He tried to catch himself, but it was too late. He fell, hitting the steps hard, but then Henriksen fell on top of him and they were both tumbling down. He heard Sam curse, and then he plowed into Sam and Alec, knocking them both off their feet and adding them to the tumble.

He groaned when they finally hit the bottom. His arm was twisted at a painful angle and he hurt all over, but as far as he could tell he hadn't broken anything.

"Alec, hey, you ok?" Sam asked. He fell suddenly as their pile shifted. Sam must've pulled Alec free to check him over. He pushed himself up to see if Alec was ok too, but Alec had his jaw clenched and was reaching for his right leg.

He spotted the blood on his little brother's pants and instantly reached for him. The cuffs stopped him though and he yelled, "Take these off!"

Henriksen was out of it though from his fall down the stairs. Dean pulled hard and drug Henriksen closer to his little brother. Alec was barely breathing and he was leaning heavily against Sam.

"Is it just your leg?" Sam asked. "Does anything else hurt?"

"Just my leg," Alec breathed out.

Sam pulled Alec into a hug and held him tightly. Alec didn't wiggle free or even complain about it, so he knew he was hurting. "Just focus on something else," Sam said.

"Like what? The seizures that could hit at any minute?" Alec bit out.

"Seizures? What? What about your pills?" Dean asked in concern.

"I forgot to take them before the crash," Alec said miserably.

"Sam, get these off of me," Dean growled. He wasn't mad at Alec, he was just mad at this situation.

Sam moved forward and quickly picked the lock. Henriksen was coming around, but he didn't care him. He only cared about his brothers. He checked Alec's leg, but frowned when he saw the damage. "This from the crash?" Dean asked. Alec nodded and looked up at him fearfully. "What about those stitches you just _had_ to put in? Did they hold up?"

That got Alec to smile, "Yeah, they held."

"Good," Dean said. "How far along are your seizures?"

"Just a strong tremor every so often," Alec said. "No constant shaking yet and the full out seizure is still pretty far off."

"Ok, what d'you say we get outta here before that happens?" Dean asked.

"That's a good idea," Alec said.

"Alright then, let's go," Dean said before he ruffled Alec's hair.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	7. Chapter 7

_Thank you all so much for the reviews! Hope you like this chapter!_

* * *

"Ok, up you go," Dean said, helping Alec up. His little brother sagged against him, but he kept him up and pulled his arm over his shoulders. "Sam, c'mon, we gotta get Alec outta here." Sam tried to push himself up, but fell back after his first attempt. "Sam?" Dean asked in concern.

"I'm alright," Sam reassured. He tried to get up again, but he had the same result.

"Alec, I've gotta set you down again," Dean said, carefully putting Alec down. He went to Sam and carefully checked him over. "Ribs," Dean said, finding three broken ribs on Sam's left side. "And your left elbow might be strained."

"I'm ok…Just a little dizzy," Sam said.

"Ok, can we make it outta here?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded, "We just gotta move a giant cement pillar…"

"Great," Dean breathed out. "That's gonna be pretty tough to move."

"I got an idea," Alec said.

Dean turned back to Alec and asked, "I'm game for just about anything."

"We just wait until the vamps come to get us," Alec said. "They wouldn't leave us here unless they were planning on coming back. They need us alive to feed on us right?"

"That might work," Dean said, looking back at Sam.

"Except we have no idea when they'll come get us," Sam said. "Alec might not have that kind of time."

"If the three of us push, do you think we could move it?" Dean asked.

"You mean me, you, and Alec?" Sam asked incredulously. "There's no way."

"No, me, you, and Henriksen," Dean said, pointing to the man who was slowly sitting up, rubbing his head.

"Dean, that's not going to work," Sam said.

"I can help push," Alec said. "I'm not having seizures yet."

"No," he and Sam said at the same time.

He saw Alec roll his eyes, but that only made him smile. As long as Alec stayed where he was, then he would be ok.

"What's going on? What-How'd you get out of the cuff?" Henriksen asked in confusion.

"We've got bigger issues right now," Dean shot over his shoulder.

"Dean, at least make sure he's ok," Sam said.

"He looks alright to me," Alec grumbled.

"Sam, I'm only worried about you and Alec. I don't care about Henriksen, who got us into this mess in the first place," Dean said. "Now, if he can help get us out, then I won't clock him as soon as we're out of this building." Sam gave him a bitchface, but that just made him smile.

"We at least need to try to get outta here," Alec said. Dean looked over at him and saw a strong tremor shake his frame. Alec met his eyes and nodded that he needed out.

"Ok, Alec, you stay put. Sam, let's go," Dean said, helping Sam up. "Henriksen, c'mon, we need you on this one too."

"I can help," Alec argued. "Just get me over there and I can push."

"No, you're not moving with that leg," Dean said.

"It's fine," Alec said, trying to push himself up. He and Sam moved at the same time to keep Alec down, but his tremor got to him first. He collapsed against the stairs and wrapped his arms around himself to try to keep himself together.

"Ok, that one was the worst so far," Sam said, sitting down next to Alec. "We can't all go push on the pillar. If he has a seizure while we're not around, he could hit his head and seriously get hurt."

"Just move me off the stairs," Alec said, his voice rising in agitation. "There are a bunch of sofas or beds around this place, just pick one and leave me there."

"We're not just leavin' you some random room," Dean said.

"Arguing isn't getting us anywhere," Sam said.

"Ok, we move him closer," Dean said. "We can watch out for him while we try to move the pillar."

"Alec?" Sam asked, looking to their little brother.

"That might work," Alec said. "It's better than just sitting around."

"If we can't move it, then we'll have to wait for them to come back," Dean said.

* * *

"Don't get used to all this pampering, ok kiddo," Dean said. "As soon as you're back on your feet, it's back to work."

"Good," Alec breathed out as his older brother helped him up again. He didn't like just sitting around while his brothers did all the heavy lifting. Besides, he was a lot stronger than they were and he wanted to help. But he knew Sam and Dean were going to baby him for weeks after this. Part of him wondered what they worried about before he came along. It seemed like they spent most of their time worring about him.

"But we made you a nice little place just in case a seizure hits while we're not around," Dean said. "But, either me or Sam will be pretty close by the entire time, ok?"

"Ok," Alec agreed. He was scared and his brothers knew it, and they were already babying him and he was letting them. Seizures were not fun and he didn't know what was going to happen if he had too many.

"It's just a little bit further," Dean said, taking on more of his weight as another tremor shot through him. "Then once we get outta here, you're gonna have to drink milkshakes every day and breakfast in bed until I decide your leg is better."

"I just need a week off, then I'll be fine," Alec brushed off.

"Just a week in the hospital maybe," Dean shot back.

He stopped, forcing Dean to stop too. "No hospital," he stated.

"Alec, you have to go to the hospital," Dean said, his voice soft to try to convince him. "That metal in your leg is in there too deep for me to get out. I could permanently damage your leg if I even tried. Not to mention the part where you could bleed out as soon as the metal is removed. You have to go to the hospital. End of story."

"Dean, I can't go," Alec said earnestly. He had to make Dean understand this time that a hospital wasn't an option for him. "I'm going to have seizures, full out seizures, and they won't know what to do. And I've lost a lot of blood. I'm still losing blood, actually, and the first thing they'll want to do is give me a transfusion."

"Shit…" Dean breathed out. He looked around as if hoping another option would appear out of nowhere, but they didn't have any. Dean sighed, but ruffled his hair, "How 'bout we come up with something as soon as we get outta here, huh?"

"Dean, I know you can take the metal out of my leg, I know you can," Alec stressed.

"I'm not a doctor, Alec! I'm decent at simple stuff, but this…this is above my paygrade, kiddo," Dean said. "I don't want to hurt you…"

"You won't! I know you won't!" Alec said. "I don't want a doctor to do it. You and Sam are my brothers and I trust you with my life."

"I'm not doin' it, Alec. I won't be the reason you never walk again," Dean whispered.

"Please?" Alec softly begged. "I want you to do it."

"Let's get through this first, ok?" Dean asked, trying to get him off track. "We've still gotta get outta here and get past a nest of vamps."

"Th-that's nothing," Alec said, a tremor causing him to stutter.

"Do you think this will be ok?" Sam asked as they walked into the hall. He was crouched beside a row of sofa cushions that was covered in throw pillows and sheets.

Alec rolled his eyes, "You guys are ridiculous…"

"Too much?" Dean asked. "I told Sam the sheets were too much…"

"We are still trying to escape, right?" Alec asked. "We're not setting up camp here and-"

"Alec, lay down and shut up," Dean said with a chuckle.

He shook his head, but he allowed Dean to help him over to the cushions and eased him down. Sam carefully propped his right leg up with some pillows while Dean put a couple pillows under his head. He reached for one of the sheets, but froze when his hand shook.

"Try not to think about it, ok?" Sam soothed, pulling the sheet up for him. "The more you think about it, the worse it's gonna be."

Dean put his hand against his forehead and frowned. "You're burnin' up…"

"Go push that pillar down the stairs," Alec said, gently pushing Dean's hand away.

"Are you cold?" Dean asked, reaching for another sheet.

"No…I feel weird," Alec said.

"Give us just a few minutes, ok? We're gonna try to move the pillar, but if it's not gonna budge, then we won't waste a lot of time on it," Dean said.

Alec nodded, but his attention was drawn again to Henriksen who was running towards them. "That pillar wasn't there. I came up those stairs to find you," Henriksen, pointing behind himself.

"Yeah, they're playing some kind of game," Dean replied, barely glancing at the man. "How 'bout you keep talking to us until we're done. That way if you stop talking, we'll know somethin's up," he said to Alec.

"What should I talk about?" Alec asked.

"Anything you want," Dean said, ruffling his hair.

"We gotta do this now," Sam said, looking up at Dean. "He's getting worse." Sam put his hand over his shaking arm and gave him a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm alright," Alec whispered. Exhaustion suddenly hit him. He hadn't even had a seizure yet and he could feel sleep tugging at him. That was a bad sign; either he'd already lost too much blood or his seizures really were worse than last time.

"Give us just a few minutes," Dean said. He patted his chest before he stood up, "And start talking."

"'M too tired to talk," Alec mumbled.

"You don't have to talk," Sam soothed. "If you're tired, then you should sleep."

Alec nodded, "Just for a minute…ok? Wake me in a little bit."

"Ok Alec," Sam said.

* * *

"Sam, how're we gonna know if he has a seizure while we're doin' this if he's asleep?" Dean asked.

Sam shot a worried look over at his little brother; if Alec heard that, then he'd feel bad and force himself to stay awake. But Alec was already asleep. "We just gotta go fast," Sam said. "Besides, if he's asleep then he's not thinking about his seizures. He's freaking himself out thinking about them, which is making it worse."

Dean nodded, "I guess I should just be happy that he's finally sleeping…"

"We'll wake him up as soon as we find out if we can move this thing," Sam said.

"How did this even get here…" Henriksen muttered to himself as he examined the pillar. "I ran up these stairs not that long ago…Me and Agent Jefferson split up so we could find you faster. He took the first floor and I ran up here…"

"Don't worry about it and just push when we tell you," Dean grumbled.

Sam ignored Dean and moved into position to push. Henriksen didn't argue as he stood beside him and got ready. The three of them pushed as hard as they could, but the pillar barely budged. They tried a few more times, but they just couldn't move it.

"Alright…plan B," Dean breathed out.

* * *

"I've got running water in this one!" Henriksen called out from one of the apartments.

It had been a few hours and they still hadn't found a way out. He had decided they needed to search the apartments to try to find weapons and to maybe find a better place to hide and wait for the vampires. Sam was with Alec, who was actually still asleep. His arms were shaking constantly now and it was only a matter of time before his full out seizure was going to hit.

He ran to the kitchen where Henriksen was and put his hand under the water. "You think it's ok to drink?" Dean asked.

"It doesn't look too bad," Henriksen said.

He found a cup in one of the cabinets and cleaned it off before he stuck it under the running water. He took a drink and swirled it around, but it tasted alright so he swallowed it. He shrugged, "I think it's alright."

"At least you could put a damp cloth on his forehead now," Henriksen said. He hadn't come around to accepting that vampires were real, but he hadn't tried to cuff them again and he was sincerely worried about Alec. "Try to bring down his fever…"

Dean nodded and pulled out a handkerchief from his jacket pocket. He ran it under the water to soak it, and then refilled the glass of water to bring back to his little brother.

Alec actually groaned when he put the cloth on his forehead. He frowned, and then a minute later his eyes slowly opened. "Dean?"

"Hey kiddo," Dean whispered. "How ya feelin'?"

"Not good," Alec admitted.

"What would you say to some water?" Dean asked. Alec nodded, so he said, "Sam, help me sit him up." He moved the cloth from Alec's forehead to the back of his neck as they carefully lifted his shoulders from the cushions.

"Ar-are the w-windows an op-option?" Alec asked, his voice shaking more now than it had been.

"No Alec, the windows aren't an option," Dean said patiently. "Now, c'mon, you gotta stay hydrated."

Alec took a sip, but the next sip caused him to choke and spill down to his shirt. "This sucks…" Alec breathed out as soon as he stopped choking.

He ran his hand through Alec's hair, "I know, but we'll find a way outta here."

"I think I hear something," Henriksen suddenly said.

He and Alec froze, and then he could hear it too. Someone was moving the pillar…

"Sam, take Alec and go," Dean whispered.

"Dean, you don't have any weapons," Sam hissed.

"Get him out of here," Dean ordered. "I'll figure something out." He helped get Alec up, and Sam actually listened to him and slowly took Alec out of the room. "If we can, we're gonna jump 'em when they come through," he said to Henriksen.

But they never even got a chance to try. The pillar was moved, something was shoved out, onto the floor, and then the pillar was immediately moved back.

"Dammit," Dean muttered, slowly walking towards whatever they had shoved onto their floor. It was a man, and he was wearing an FBI jacket just like Henriksen was. "This your agent?" Dean asked over his shoulder.

Henriksen walked forward and nodded, "Yeah, that's Jefferson. What'd they do to him?"

Dean turned the unconscious agent's head and saw the bit marks on his neck. "They fed on him," he said. He frowned though when he saw the smeared blood on the guy's neck and mouth. They hadn't just fed on him. They had turned him. "We need to stay away from him. Lock him up somewhere," Dean said.

"Why?" Henriksen bit out. "This all part of your plan somehow?"

"No," Dean said with a sigh. "They turned him. When he wakes up, the only thing he's going to think about is blood. Our blood. We're the only things he can eat up here and new vampires are hard to stop."

"You're insane," Henriksen breathed.

"You don't have to believe me, but you have to trust me," Dean stated. "Our only shot is locking him up somewhere to give us some time to find a weapon."

Henriksen rolled his eyes, but finally agreed. They moved Jefferson up the stairs and locked him in the apartment furthest down the hall. He knew that wouldn't hold him, but maybe it would give them a little extra time.

"Dean!" Sam yelled from downstairs.

His heart stopped; Sam's voice was panicked, which meant Alec was having a seizure.

* * *

Sam did everything he knew to try to help Alec. He and Dean had read up on all kinds of material to learn as much as they could about seizures after Alec had them the first time. They hadn't been prepared in the woods, but they knew more now. But they couldn't plan for everything. They had planned for their little brother to be on the cushion when this happened, but this hunt was so far off track, he should've known it would never work.

Unfortunately, Alec had been standing instead of sitting when the seizure hit. He had been holding his little brother up when he suddenly jerked out of his hold. His right leg had collapsed and he'd hit the ground hard before he could catch him.

He called out for Dean as he dropped next to Alec's shaking form and quickly shrugged out of his jacket. He tucked the material under Alec's head, and then carefully turned him to his left side. He didn't want his little brother to choke while he was having a seizure.

"Sam!" Dean said in panic, running into the room.

"He hit the ground…I couldn't catch him in time," Sam said miserably. He was supposed to look out for Alec, but he'd messed up his one job.

"It's alright, Sam," Dean reassured. "He's hit the ground harder than that before."

Sam nodded; he knew Dean was trying to make him feel better, but he wouldn't feel better until Alec's seizure stopped.

"C'mon Alec, come on back to us," Dean begged softly when Alec's seizure had gone on for more than a minute.

Sam breathed out in relief as Alec's shaking finally slowed until it looked like he was just sleeping again. Dean instantly picked up the discarded cloth, that he'd dropped when Alec had fallen, and carefully dabbed at Alec's forehead, cheek, and neck.

"What happened with the vampires?" Sam asked, only just remembering that Dean had been planning on breaking them out of there before coming to his aid.

"Sam, don't worry about it, ok? I took care of it for now," Dean hedged.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam asked, anger tinting his voice. He needed to know what was going on. He was watching out for Alec, but he needed to watch out for Dean too.

"Let's just focus on Alec right now. We can deal with the vampire later," Dean shrugged off.

"Dean! What do you mean 'deal with the vampire later'? What vampire?" Sam asked incredulously.

Dean was about to reply when he was saved by Alec's small groan. "Hey kiddo," Dean whispered, instantly dropping their argument.

"What hap'ned…" Alec asked, his voice weak.

"You had a seizure," Sam said patiently.

"No…with the vamps…" Alec slurred. His eyes were still closed and his body was still wracked with tremors, but he was aware enough to know what was going on.

"Alec, don't worry about the vamps," Dean said, running his hair through Alec's hair. "We'll take care of 'em after we take care of you."

"I-I'm alright…" Alec mumbled.

"How 'bout instead of trying to convince us that you're ok, you save your energy, maybe relax a little," Dean suggested.

Alec barely opened his eyes to glare at Dean. "I-I'm hurt and h-having seiz-seizures. I-I'm not d-dead," Alec grumbled.

"We know that, Alec," Sam soothed, rubbing Alec's shoulder. "We're just worried about you. We can't help you since we don't have your pills, and that's killing us."

Alec nodded, "I know…I j-just feel use-useless…"

"Alec, you could never be useless," Dean reassured. "But for now why don't you relax and maybe try to take another nap?"

"Sleep? A-at a ti-time like th-this?" Alec asked sarcastically. "We-we're in the m-middle of-of a h-hunt…"

"Actually, we're not hunting right now," Sam said. "We're just trapped, so I think it'd be ok if you fell asleep again." Alec closed his eyes tight as another tremor shook him. "Easy Alec," Sam tried to soothe, resting his hand on Alec's chest.

"Sam, I'm gonna look for a weapon. Yell if he has another one," Dean said, getting up again.

He nodded back, but he kept his focus on Alec. He took the cloth that Dean had abandoned and put it back on Alec's forehead. He could feel Alec's fever through the cloth and it was alarming to feel how hot he was. They needed to get out of there; their little brother depended on it.

"St-stop st-staring at m-me," Alec grumbled.

"Do you want another drink?" Sam asked, ignoring what Alec had said. "Or I can rummage through the cabinets again to try to find something…"

"I'll t-take another dr-drink," Alec said.

Sam nodded, but he had to leave for a second to go get the glass of water that they'd left behind. He breathed out in relief when he made it back to Alec and saw that he was still conscious. "Do you want me to move the cushions in here? Or do you want to move back to the other room…well, I don't know…you're bleeding more now. Dammit…"

"S-s-sam…ch-chill," Alec said. "J-just go g-get one of th-those sh-sheets-"

Alec had to stop because of a tremor, so he filled in, "I should've thought about this sooner. With your fever…I should've known you'd be cold."

"N-n-no," Alec said, stopping him from running to get one of the sheets. "Use-use it t-t-to wrap-p m-my l-leg."

Sam sighed, "Alec, It's gonna be too painful with that metal to wrap your leg."

"It-it'll stop the b-bleeding," Alec said. "F-for now any-anyway…"

Sam patted Alec's chest before he carefully lifted his shoulders and helped him get a drink. "Just try to rest, ok?" Sam gently lowered Alec back down, cushioning his head with his jacket and dabbing Alec's forehead again.

"D-don't g-get used t-to th-this," Alec mumbled. "Once I-I'm b-better…n-no m-more of th-this…"

"You should just relax. This is gonna keep happening until me and Dean decide you're better," Sam said.

Alec's eyes slowly closed, but he mumbled, "W-we gotta g-get outta h-here f-first…"

"I know…we're workin' on it," Sam reassured, running his hand through Alec's hair. "Just hang in there."

* * *

 _More soon..._


	8. Chapter 8

"So let's say for a second that I believe you," Henriksen said. "Let's say vampires are real and that my agent is going to become one. How long do we have?"

Dean reached over and rested his hand on Alec's shoulder when he whimpered in pain. He'd had three more seizures in the past few hours, each one worse than the last. Sam was dozing off, leaning against the wall, but he would reach out any time Alec shook or made any sound of pain. "No tellin'," Dean breathed out.

"Why're they keeping us here?" Henriksen asked. "If they are vampires…why didn't they just eat us?"

"They don't drain all their victims. Sometimes they keep 'em around and only feed on them when they need to. They probably set this place up with that in mind," Dean said. "But they're just playin' with us."

Henriksen nodded, but then asked, "What's Alec's story? I know he wasn't around during the bank robbery."

"It's kind of a long story…" Dean hedged.

Henriksen looked around at the empty room, "Uh, I think we've got time."

"I don't know…" Dean said. Alec could have another seizure any minute and he wanted to be ready. And he didn't know how much he should actually tell Henriksen. He didn't want the FBI to know he had a real transgenic right in front of him. But he hated waiting around and he hated silence. If Alec was awake, then he wouldn't have to wait in silence, but his little brother wasn't awake and probably wouldn't wake up for a long time.

"Sorry, just thought I'd pass the time," Henriksen said.

Maybe if he actually talked to Henriksen, the guy wouldn't be so determined to arrest them. And if he could actually prove that the supernatural was real, then there would be no reason to arrest them at all. "Alec came around a little while after the bank incident," Dean said. "A bank that we were not there to rob, by the way."

"Let's stick to what's going on in the real world," Henriksen said.

He sighed, "Alright, well, um…Alec didn't know we existed, but we found out about him and took off for Seattle to go get him."

"Seattle? That's where the transgenics are all holed up, right?" Henriksen asked.

Dean shrugged and played off, "I don't know. I was just worried about Alec."

"The seizures…are they chronic or…"

"He's got a serotonin imbalance. He needs extra tryptophan to keep them away," Dean said. "His pills are in my car. He's supposed to take them every day, but he didn't get a chance today." Alec suddenly groaned, and a violent tremor shot through him. He and Sam both reached for him, but he relaxed again a moment later. "He's getting worse…"

"Dean, what should we do?" Sam asked, his hand still on Alec's shoulder.

"Let's wake him up. Maybe get him to drink some more water," Dean said.

"He's burnin' up…I don't remember him having a fever last time," Sam said.

"That's 'cause he didn't," Dean said. "And he only had two full out seizures last time, and he's already up to four this time."

"Not to mention he's lost a lot of blood…His leg is still bleeding and that vampire took a lot too," Sam said.

"And he was shot before that. The kid has the worst luck," Dean said, ruffling Alec's hair.

"His luck's only gotten worse since he's stayed with us," Sam muttered.

Dean nodded in agreement, but then stopped and his eyes widened in surprise when Alec breathed out, "N-n-no…"

"Hey kiddo," Dean said, trying to sound like everything was great.

"I-I-I'm l-lucky," Alec whispered. His eyes were still closed and he sounded like he was about to fall asleep again.

"Ok Alec," Dean soothed, refusing to argue with his little brother.

Alec's eyes opened though and he stared at him steadily. "I-I'm lucky," Alec repeated, firmer this time.

"Alec," Dean sighed.

"N-no. I-I-I-" he had to stop and close his eyes again in pain as his tremors became more violent.

He reached out and put his hand on Alec's chest to comfort him. "Hey, how 'bout we get you sitting up for a little bit," Dean said to try to distract his little brother from the pain. "Maybe that'll help for a few minutes."

"And that way you can drink some more water," Sam threw in, instantly jumping to help get Alec to a sitting position.

"O-ok…"

Alec was out of breath and his color had gone from pale to sickly gray once they finished moving him. He regretted having him sit up now, but he didn't want to hurt Alec more by laying him down again. He got up though, and ripped off another square from one of the sheets. He folded it and carefully held it against Alec's bleeding leg. The movement must have shifted the metal again.

Even though it was painful for him, they had used a sheet to try to stop the bleeding in their little brother's leg. After his third seizure, he'd shifted some of the metal and his blood had started leaking out at an alarming rate. Sam had taken off and grabbed a sheet, which he'd immediately pressed against Alec's wound to try to stop it. Alec had cried out in pain, which sliced through him and nearly made him stop, but he knew he couldn't. They had to control the bleeding so Alec wouldn't bleed to death.

"I'll get him some more water," Henriksen said, jumping up to help.

"I-I'm not g-g-gonna la-last much long-longer," Alec said once Henriksen left. He was barely conscious and he was leaning heavily against Sam.

He felt panic at Alec's admission, but he needed to keep it together and keep Alec fighting. He gently gripped Alec's chin and forced him to look at him, "You are not allowed to give up, you hear me? We're getting out of here. We're gonna get you some pills, patch up your leg, and I'm getting my baby back. You just gotta keep fighting, got it?"

"Dean-"

"You're not allowed to die, Alec," Dean growled.

"W-we don't e-even h-have any w-w-weapons," Alec said. Sam grabbed their damp cloth and held it to Alec's forehead. Alec closed his eyes at the small relief. His fever had only gotten higher as time went on, and the best they could do was put a wet cloth on him every so often.

"That's what you think," Dean said with a small smile. He grabbed part of a window that he'd managed to break off, which had about nine inches of sharp glass across it. He thought if he could get the Vamp on the ground and shove it down, then maybe he could decapitate it. He didn't know what they were going to do if this didn't work since he hadn't found anything else that could help them. But he held up the broken window for Alec to see and his smile widened when Alec's eyes lit up.

"Th-that m-might work," Alec stuttered.

"See, I've got a plan," Dean said as he sat back by Alec again. "I managed to get three broken off, so me, Sammy, and Henriksen can take these guys out with no problem." Henriksen came back in with a glass of water, which he handed to him before he sat down. "Thanks," Dean said as Henriksen sat down. He held the glass to Alec's lips so he could get a few sips before his shaking took over.

"Like I told you before, I've got a gun," Henriksen said, having overheard their conversation about weapons. "If they attack, then let me handle it."

"And I told you that guns don't hurt vampires, so you'd be wasting your bullets," Dean said.

"Dean…"

"Yeah kiddo?" Dean asked. Alec had his eyes closed, resting his head on Sam's shoulder. He looked like he could already be asleep.

"Th-there's some-someone up-upstairs," Alec whispered.

"What?" Dean asked back, sharing a look of panic with Sam.

"S-s-some…someone is w-walking a-around upstairs," Alec repeated. "I c-can h-hear 'em m-moving…"

"Sam, stay here with him, ok? It should just be the one, so me and Henriksen can take care of it," Dean said. He grabbed his weapon and started to stand. Henriksen stood too, but he left his weapon on the ground.

"Dean," Sam hissed to stop him. "Get on either side of the door. Me and Alec will be the bait to get him in here."

"No, I wanna keep this as far from Alec as I can," Dean said, moving for the door.

"It-it's too l-late," Alec whispered, stopping him. "H-he's already on th-the st-stairs…"

They all listened for a moment, and then Dean could hear the frantic footsteps coming down the stairs. He sighed, but he did as Sam said and got on one side of the door while Henriksen got on the other side. He shot a quick look to Sam and Alec just to make sure they were ok, and Sam gave him a small nod in return. He wished he could do this differently, but it was too late to change it now.

* * *

The Winchesters were insane, but he no longer thought they were monsters. He'd said they were monsters before, but now that he'd been forced to spend some time with them and had watched them take care of each other, he knew it wasn't true. They still thought ghosts and vampires were real, but he didn't want to take down crazy people as much as he'd wanted to take them down when they were monsters.

And their little brother was dying. He knew it and so did they. He didn't want to see the youngest Winchester die in this crappy situation. Especially since he knew if they weren't trapped, then he would be able to recover. It was hard to watch Sam and Dean try their hardest to keep him alive, and he wanted to help but there wasn't much he could do. It didn't help that Sam and Dean were wary to have him anywhere close to Alec.

But now someone was coming. Dean thought it was one of the vampires. He hoped it was just his Agent, but he was pretty sure is was one of the psychos that had trapped them here in the first place. He didn't want to use force to get out of there, but they needed to get Alec some medical attention. These guys had trapped them there, so if they weren't going to let them out, then he would do what he had to.

He stood across from Dean Winchester as they waited for whoever was on the other side of the door to come through. He had his gun ready and Dean had his makeshift weapon ready. He wasn't sure he wanted to see Dean try to use his window knife, but at the same time, he was curious to see if it would work. Dean seemed fairly confident in it anyway.

Dean looked away from his brothers and focused on the doorknob. He looked and saw that the knob was actually turning. His heart pounded as he waited to see who was on the other side.

He relaxed when he saw it was just Jefferson.

He saw Dean start to swing at his agent and he reacted instinctively. Luckily, his first thought was to tackle the man instead of shooting him, so that's what he did. He tackled Dean Winchester to the ground to protect his agent.

Dean was cursing and trying to shove him off, but he ignored him.

"Agent Jefferson," Henriksen said, pushing himself up. "Do you know what happened? Did you see them?" Jefferson's focus shifted from Sam and Alec to him. He smiled, and Henriksen's eyes widened when sharp teeth slowly came out of his gums and covered his normal teeth. "What the Hell…"

"Move," Dean yelled.

Dean was up and had launched himself at Jefferson. Henriksen stood there, frozen. He didn't know what he'd just seen. He couldn't process what he was seeing now. Jefferson had gotten the upper hand on Dean. He bit down on Dean's neck and sucked. Dean tried to fight off his agent, but he was slowly losing his fight.

He was roughly pushed aside as Sam suddenly ran to his brother's aide. Sam pushed Jefferson off of Dean and looked around for Dean's weapon, but he couldn't find it.

"Sam!" Alec called out weakly.

He and Sam both looked to him to see that he was holding up the weapon Dean had made for _him._ Sam ran back to Alec, but Jefferson's focus was on him again. He quickly raised his gun this time and shot his agent right in the heart. But that didn't stop him. Jefferson growled and ran at him, shoving him with inhuman strength into the wall.

His vision was swimming, but he was aware enough to see Sam swing one of the weapons at his agent. He clipped Jefferson's shoulder, but that didn't slow him down. He just changed directions and went after Sam instead.

Dean suddenly came out of nowhere and tackled Jefferson to the ground. He held his agent down and pressed his weapon to his throat. Dean pressed as hard as he could and slowly severed Jefferson's neck, blood spurting when he hit his artery. With one final shove, Dean managed to separate Jefferson's head from his neck, effectively decapitating him.

It was eerily silent, and nobody moved. He didn't even know what happened. His mind couldn't comprehend what he just lived through.

"Th-that w-was excit-exciting," Alec stuttered, suddenly interrupting the silence.

Dean looked over at Alec, but then swayed. "Dean!" Sam yelled, running over to his brother and steadying him. "C'mon, let's get you over by Alec." Sam led him over to Alec and helped him sit down.

Sam pressed a strip of cloth against Dean's neck, who batted his hand away and took over putting pressure on his neck. "I'm fine," Dean grumbled. "I just need a minute."

"Stay here and watch over Alec," Sam ordered. "I'm going to check on Henriksen."

"Why? He nearly got us all killed," Dean growled.

"Dean, he didn't know," Sam defended.

Alec suddenly cried out in pain with the force of his tremor and Sam and Dean both reached for him. Dean wrapped his arm around Alec's shoulders and said to Sam, "Go, I've got him."

"What…what just happened?" Henriksen asked as Sam walked closer to him. Sam reached out and helped him up.

"Jefferson was turned into a vampire," Sam said.

"I…I saw his fangs…he…he sucked Dean's blood," Henriksen said in shock. "I shot him and nothing happened."

"I get that this is hard to understand, but it's not over yet," Sam said. "We're in the nest and eventually they're going to come for us." Sam looked over at Alec and Dean. Alec's shaking was getting worse; he was going to have another seizure. "We need you in this fight," Sam said. "If we're going to make it out of here, then me, you, and Dean all need to be able to fight. We have to get Alec out of here."

He took a deep breath and nodded after a moment. "Ok, just tell me what I need to do."

* * *

He had another seizure. That was five now and he didn't know how many more he could handle. Sam and Dean were there when he regained consciousness. They looked worried, and he knew he couldn't fix that.

"What…what d-did I m-miss?" Alec asked breathlessly.

"Well, Henriksen is all caught up on how to kill vampires and he believes us, so that's good," Dean said, going along with pretending that everything was ok. "I don't think he's going to arrest us now…"

"He actually wants to learn how to hunt," Sam threw in. "He's even keeping watch right now to try to prove that he can be good at this."

"My idea," Dean said. "I'm all for not getting arrested, but he's starting to get on my nerves with all his questions."

"H-h-how's your n-neck?" Alec asked.

"Hurts probably as much as yours does," Dean said, running his hand through his hair.

"Th-that's n-not what h-hurts th-the m-m-most," Alec admitted.

"We'll get some pain pills as soon as we get out of here," Sam reassured.

"Yeah, we'll get the good stuff," Dean said. "Really knock you on your ass."

"Th-that'll be g-g-good," Alec whispered. A tremor shook him, making him whimper in pain. Two hands landed on his chest to try to comfort him. "If-if I d-don't m-make it, j-just leave-leave m-me h-here," Alec stuttered.

"Alec, you're making it outta here," Dean growled. "Now, c'mon, let's argue about you going to the hospital again."

"I-I'm n-not go-going to th-the hos-hospital," Alec grumbled. "Y-you're g-gonna d-d-do it…"

"No I'm not," Dean argued.

"It-it-it'll b-be easy," Alec breathed out. He was losing his energy fast; he couldn't stay awake much longer.

Dean tapped his cheek a few times and said, "No Alec, you can't sleep yet. We need you to stay awake for a little while." He saw Dean grab one of the throw pillows and said, "Look, we grabbed your favorite pillows. I've got two for your head and two for your leg."

"I d-don't know h-how I-I'm sup-p-posed t-t-to st-stay awake w-with p-pillows," Alec whispered. He was going for teasing, but he didn't have enough strength to pull it off. But he had to admit he was more comfortable with the pillows. His leg was killing him; he wasn't sure if his leg hurt the worst or if his muscles took that spot. Either way, he didn't feel good.

"Are you cold?" Sam asked him softly.

He nodded; he hadn't been cold earlier, but now he was shivering in time to his shaking. Sam pulled a sheet over him, but it didn't really help. Dean shrugged out of his jacket, knowing the sheet wasn't helping, and laid it over his chest and arms.

"You're still burnin' up," Dean said, putting his hand on his forehead. "Wish we had some ice…"

Alec groaned, "I-I h-hate ice…"

"I know, but we're gonna have to get rid of this fever somehow," Dean said.

Sam and Dean both looked away when Henriksen ran back in. "The pillar's gone. I looked away for a second and when I looked back it was gone."

"What?" Sam and Dean asked at the same time.

Sam stood up and ran to the other room, but Dean stayed with him.

"I don't know where it went," Henriksen said. "How could they move it that fast."

Sam ran back and nodded, "It's gone."

"Th-they w-want us t-t-to m-move…it's a tr-trap," Alec said.

"But we've gotta take it," Dean said. "I know it's a trap, but this is our only chance getting you out."

"How're we gonna do this?" Sam asked.

"Henriksen, give me your gun," Dean said. Henriksen hesitated, but then slowly handed his gun over to Dean. "Do you have another clip?"

Henriksen passed that over too, and then said, "I thought you said guns didn't work on them."

"They don't," Dean stated. "But Alec's a good shot and if he hits them in the face, then that might slow them down." Dean handed him the gun, but he held on to the extra clip.

"D-dean, I-I sh-shouldn't h-h-have the g-gun," Alec said. He hadn't realized what Dean was doing, but this was insane. He shouldn't be holding a gun in the state he was in. He might shoot Sam or Dean, or even himself. He couldn't control his muscles right now. "If I-I h-have a s-seizure-"

Dean gently grabbed his face and made him look at him. "Listen to me. You are not going to have a seizure. I need you to focus because we're getting outta here."

"D-d-dean-"

"No. I know you can do this," Dean said. He moved his hand from his face to his chest and gave him a reassuring pat. "Here's the plan. I'm going to help you walk. You've got the gun so you can warn me when one of 'em is close and I can set you down to take them out. Sammy's gonna lead the way and Henriksen's gonna bring up the rear, ok? Once we get out, we'll come up with the next plan."

"O-ok…" Alec breathed out. He didn't have enough strength to argue. He really didn't know if he had enough strength to even get out of there, but he didn't have a choice. Sam and Dean were risking their lives to get him out; he needed to do everything he could to help.

"Sam, help me get him up," Dean said. He was moving his jacket, the sheet, and the pillows off of him so they could get up up.

Sam ran over and both his brothers managed to get him to his feet. The room instantly blacked out; he hadn't moved more than sitting up for a long time and he had lost a lot of blood.

"Alec, c'mon, we need you to stay with us," Dean said, his voice finally filtering through. "Sam, get the water."

"I-I'm alright…" Alec whispered.

"How 'bout you take a drink anyway," Dean said. "It'll make me feel better."

Alec forced his eyes open and took a drink when Sam held the glass to his lips.

"Dean, I don't know if this is going to work," Sam said. "We're on the third floor and there's no tellin' how many vamps are in here."

"It has to work," Dean said. "This is our only shot."

"I-I c-can m-make it," Alec forced out.

"We just gotta get out of this apartment, and then we'll find a way to patch you up," Dean said. He looked over at Sam and Henriksen, and then asked, "We ready to do this?"

"Ready as we'll ever be," Sam muttered.

"C'mon Sam, try to sound a little more optimistic," Dean said, pushing on Sam's shoulder.

"I'll be more optimistic once we're outside…" Sam grumbled.

Dean shook his head and focused on him again. "You got a good grip on the gun?" He asked. Alec nodded, holding up the gun in his left hand. "Ok, just remember, you gotta stay conscious and you shoot at anything that's not me, Sammy, or Henriksen, ok?"

"O-o-ok," Alec said.

"Ok, let's get you outta here."

* * *

 _More soon..._


	9. Chapter 9

He didn't know if his plan was going to work or not, but this was their only chance. Alec didn't have much time left, so they needed to at least try to get out.

"Ok kiddo, lean on me a little more," Dean said as they made their way to the stairs. "We've just gotta make it down two sets of stairs, and then we're home free."

"So far it's clear," Sam whispered from the bottom of the first flight of stairs.

Dean took a step down, and Alec leaned against him and hopped down next to him. He had to steady his little brother as he swayed, but they didn't fall so that was a good sign. They took another step, going through the same motions. It was slow going, but they hadn't fallen down the stairs yet, so their luck was holding.

"That wasn't too bad," Dean said once they made it to the bottom. "Just one more flight…" Alec nodded; he was breathing hard and it looked like it was taking a lot of effort to stay conscious, but he was still with him.

Sam grunted suddenly, and Dean turned just in time to see a vampire tackle him to the ground. Sam managed to roll, putting the vampire on the ground, and then forced the makeshift knife into its throat.

He had started for Sam, but instantly stopped when the gun went off. Another vampire was coming at them, but it had slowed down when Alec had shot it in the face. He was about to set Alec on the stairs, but he heard something snarl on his right side. He looked and saw another one coming at them from that side too.

Henriksen came out of nowhere and took that one down. Sam was fighting a different one than before, and the one Alec had shot was coming back. Alec shot it again, but looked to him to see what the plan was.

They both grunted as something plowed into them. Alec cried out in pain when he landed on his leg, and he wanted to help his little brother, but he had to focus on fighting off this new vampire. He struggled to get the upper hand, but he wasn't doing so hot.

He heard Alec empty the rest of the clip, which made him fight harder. He kneed the vampire hard, and then pushed him over. He grabbed his weapon and forced it down, through the vampire's neck.

"Dean!" Alec yelled.

Dean got up and ran over to Alec. He grabbed the vampire that was after his little brother and threw it against the wall. He tossed Alec the extra clip and saw him start to switch it out before he attacked the vamp. He sliced that one's head off, and turned to start back to Alec when instinct told him to freeze. Alec was aiming the gun at him and he fired, but his aim was still spot on.

He heard the vampire that was behind him screech as Alec's shot hit it right in the face. Dean turned and swung his knife in the same motion, slicing the vamp's head clean off.

He ran back to Alec before anything else could happen to make sure he was ok.

"See why I gave you the gun," Dean said to try and distract Alec from the pain in his leg.

"S-s-so s-smart…" Alec said sarcastically.

Dean stayed crouched by his little brother, but he looked around for Sam and Henriksen. They were both up and checking the vamps to make sure they were all dead, and he didn't see any others coming after them.

"You think that was it?" Dean asked.

"Looks like it," Sam muttered. "Looks like we got nine of them, which is a pretty good size for a nest…"

"Alright kiddo, let's get you up again," Dean said. He lifted Alec's shoulders up, and his little brother wrapped his arm over his shoulders. Dean stood with Alec, and steadied him when he swayed.

"Th-the a-adrenaline's w-wearing off…" Alec slurred.

"Hey, stay with me, ok? We've still got one more flight of stairs," Dean said.

"O-o-ok…"

"Dean, what's the plan after this?" Sam asked.

"We gotta torch the building, get Alec some pills and some milk, and get my baby back. Then we'll figure out how to fix up Alec's leg," Dean said.

"We can't torch the whole building," Sam argued.

"We've got 10 dead bodies in here and Alec's DNA is everywhere," Dean said. "We _have_ to torch the building."

"I can help torch it," Henriksen said. "Me and Sam can work on torching it while you get Alec some pills."

"What about my baby?" Dean asked, trying to hide his panic at not even knowing where his car was.

"We can get it after we torch the building," Sam said.

"I know where it is," Henriksen said. "I can get it out of impound."

He nodded; he felt better knowing his baby would be back with him again soon. And they were getting out of there. All he had to figure out was how to fix Alec's leg.

They hopped down the last flight of stairs, and then they kept moving while Sam and Henriksen hung back to torch the building. The sun was setting, and he figured they'd been trapped in there for at least a day, maybe two. It was hard to tell since he didn't know what day it was. He felt hungry, but he didn't know if he was two-days-without-food hungry.

He looked down the street, and was happy to see there was a grocery store just a few blocks away. He pointed it out to Sam before he and Alec slowly hopped down the road.

"Ok, I'm going to go in there real quick, but I'm gonna leave you out here, ok? It's gonna look suspicious enough with just me goin' in there, but it'll only take me a minute," Dean said. "It doesn't look like they'll have tryptophan, but I'll get you some milk, ok?"

"Ok," Alec whispered. He really didn't want to leave his little brother alone, but he still had Henriksen's gun, so it would hopefully be ok. And he was only going to be gone a second.

He carefully helped Alec sit down, and then lean against the wall of the store. He made sure his little brother was steady before he ran in. The store clerk gave him a funny look, but ignored him otherwise as he quickly walked to the back of the store. He grabbed the half gallon of milk, and then went to their meager medicine aisle. He didn't think it would do much, but he got some Tylenol, rubbing alcohol, and some gauze. Maybe it would be enough until they got the Impala back with all of their medical supplies in the trunk and Alec's pills. They would still need to find somewhere to patch him up, but for now this would work.

He grabbed a couple candy bars on his way to give Alec a sugar boost before he walked to the counter.

"What happened to you?" The teenager behind the counter asked.

His clothes were ripped and he knew he was bleeding in more than one spot, but he didn't want to talk to this guy. "Nothin'," Dean grumbled.

"Were you in a fight?" The kid asked.

"Just ring me up, would ya?" Dean said. He wanted to hurry up and get back to Alec, but this guy was making it impossible.

"Do you need me to call the cops?" He asked, slowly ringing up his first item.

"No," Dean replied shortly.

"Are you in trouble with the cops?" The kid asked.

"Look kid, just ring up my stuff," Dean said.

"Ok, ok," the kid muttered, going back to his job.

It took a few more minutes before he finally got to pay and get back to his brother. He was relieved to see Alec was still conscious when he got to him. His little brother looked up at him with trusting eyes, knowing that he was going to get him through this.

"Alright kiddo, I got us some things to get us by," Dean said, sitting next to him. He got out the milk and popped off the cap. He helped Alec get a drink, and then got the Tylenol out. "Here, take a couple of these too. It might help with your fever," Dean said. He gave Alec two pills and he took them with another drink of milk. "Look," Dean said, pointing to the building they'd been kept in. It was engulfed in flames, which meant Sam and Henriksen were moving on to getting his baby back. "They got the building to burn."

"N-n-now we j-just w-wait for S-S-Sammy?" Alec asked, leaning against him.

"Yeah, but he shouldn't be gone too long," Dean tried to reassure. He helped Alec get a few more drinks before he dug through his bag again. He grabbed the rubbing alcohol and moved to Alec's injured leg. He ripped his jeans to reveal the two pieces of metal that were stuck in his leg. "This is gonna sting a bit," Dean warned. Alec nodded that he understood, so he poured the alcohol along his leg. Alec hissed as the alcohol foamed and burned.

Dean sat back again and pulled Alec against his side. He would wrap Alec's leg with gauze in a few minutes; he wanted to give his little brother a break first.

He let Alec rest for a few minutes, and then he carefully wrapped Alec's leg. His little brother whimpered in pain, but he didn't have any more energy than that. The gauze was instantly soaked in Alec's blood, but he couldn't tie the gauze any tighter without really hurting Alec.

"C'mon, try to drink some more milk," Dean said, running his hand through Alec's hair. He couldn't do much for Alec's leg, but he could try to help him with his seizures. "We won't have your pills for a while still…"

Alec drank all of the milk, so he stood up and went back into the store. The clerk gave him another funny look as he walked to the back of the store. He grabbed another half gallon of milk and headed to the counter.

"Back again," The kid said.

"Just ring me up, ok? No stupid questions this time," Dean grumbled.

"How come you're back so soon?" The kid asked.

"How much is it?" Dean asked instead of answering.

"$2.49," the kid said. Dean dropped three bucks on the counter and grabbed the milk. "Will you be back?" The kid asked as he walked out the door.

He took a few steps, but then stopped when he heard the familiar sound of firsts hitting flesh. He ran, knowing Alec was in trouble. Alec was still on the ground and five guys were surrounding him. He threw a punch any time one of the got close to him; it wasn't pretty, but he managed to keep them back for the most part.

Dean tried to see if Alec still had the gun, but he didn't. He saw it a few feet away, out of Alec's reach.

Two of the guys suddenly went after Alec at the same time, one of them jostling his leg, making him cry out in pain. Dean instantly jumped in, dropping the milk to the ground, and punching the first guy he saw. No one got to hurt his brother and live.

"He's one of 'em," one of the guys shouted.

The gang shifted their attention from Alec onto him, which was just want he wanted. He punched two guys before he took a hard punch to his jaw. Two of them grabbed him and held him in place as the third punched his side hard, making him gasp in pain.

He heard Alec groan as one of the guys hit him again. He tried to break free from the guys holding him, but his side took another hard hit.

He was thrown back suddenly, the back of his head connecting with the wall behind him. Stars erupted and he tried to focus so he could protect Alec. Someone kicked him though, and he heard Alec make a strangled sound of pain.

"Dean!" Sam yelled.

"Freeze! FBI!" Henriksen shouted after Sam. The guys around him backed away, and Henriksen said, "These two are in my custody. If you would like to stay out of jail, then I suggest you get out of here."

"Alec!" Sam said, running over to them. Sam crouched down in front of Alec and tapped his cheek, "Hey, hey, Alec! C'mon, don't pass out, ok?" Sam shook Alec's shoulder, but their little brother had already passed out. Sam moved over to him and helped him sit up. "Dean, you ok?"

He groaned, but said, "We should've listened to Alec…"

"Which time?" Sam asked.

"He told us this town hated transgenics and we should've listened to him," Dean mumbled.

"Well, hey, I got your car," Sam said to cheer him up. Dean looked around and instantly brightened seeing his baby again. She was pretty beat up, but she still looked beautiful. "You'll be happy to hear she still runs. She's not as smooth as she used to be, but she'll get us wherever we need to go."

"Alright, help me up," Dean said. Sam helped him, and steadied him when he swayed. He looked around for the milk he bought for Alec, but it was busted open all over the pavement. "Son of a bitch," Dean grumbled.

"Dean, where're you going?" Sam asked as he walked away.

He went back into the store, grabbed another milk, and threw three more dollars onto the counter.

"You're becoming a regular!" The kid called after him.

He grumbled under his breath as he walked back over to his brothers. He forgot about being annoyed though when he saw Alec was starting to come around.

"Alec, can you hear me?" Sam asked, gently turning his head.

"Yeah…" Alec breathed out.

"Ok, Dean's here," Sam said. "He's got some more milk for you and I'm going to go grab your pills, ok?"

"O-ok…"

Dean took Sam's spot so he could get Alec's pills from the car. "Ok kiddo, let's get you sitting up again," Dean said. He carefully got Alec up and leaned him against himself. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't've left."

"It-it's o-ok," Alec stuttered, his shaking starting to get worse.

"I guess the milk's not really helping…" Dean muttered.

"P-p-probably t-takes a-a while t-t-to work," Alec said.

"Well, this is the third half gallon of milk that I've gotten you," Dean said.

"W-w-what hap-happened t-to the s-second one?" Alec asked.

"I dropped it and now it's all over the pavement," Dean said. Alec chuckled, which made him feel better. Alec hadn't laughed in what felt like a long time, so he was glad that he was able to get him to do it.

"Ok, here's his pills," Sam said, kneeling in front of them. He held out two pills for Alec to take and he helped him get a drink to get them down.

"How long before the pills start to work?" Henriksen asked.

"I don't know…he went without them for a long time," Sam said.

"Do we have to wait until the seizures stop to take him to the hospital, or are we headed there next?" Henriksen asked.

He and Sam shared a look before he said, "We can't take him to the hospital…"

Henriksen frowned, "Why not?"

"Well, for one, we're wanted by the FBI," Dean shot out, trying to get Henriksen to talk about something else. They needed a plan to get Alec's leg fixed, but he didn't want to explain everything to Henriksen.

But Henriksen wasn't having it, "You're with the FBI and I'm not arresting you. I know now that you've been telling the truth the whole time, so the hospital is still an option."

"N-not f-for a tr-transgenic…" Alec stuttered weakly.

"Especially since this town knows about transgenics and doesn't like them," Sam said, putting his hand on Alec's arm.

Henriksen was silent as he processed this new information. Dean was sure he would change his mind and arrest them right there, but he didn't. He nodded after a moment and said, "Ok, then where do we go? Do you have friends around here that can help him, or…"

"We're too far to get to any of them," Sam said. He looked to him and said, "The closest one is Bobby…"

"12 and ½ hours is too far," Dean said. "We might be able to go there if we can get the bleeding stopped."

"Ok, best option is either break into a clinic or do motel surgery…" Sam muttered.

"Are you serious?!" Henriksen asked. "You guys aren't seriously thinking of doing this yourselves, are you?"

"We don't have a lot of options here," Dean growled. He didn't want to get the metal out of Alec's leg, but he didn't want anyone else to do it either. Alec was his little brother and it was his job to protect him. He knew Alec didn't want anyone else to do it, and even though he'd argued with him earlier, he wasn't going to now.

"Let's look for a clinic," Sam said before he and Henriksen could start arguing. "If we can find one we can break into, then that would be better. They have more equipment than we do, so we wouldn't have to find a bunch of stuff."

"30 minutes, that's it," Dean said. "I don't wanna waste a lot of time lookin' since we need to get this bleeding stopped now."

"Alright, let's get him to the car," Sam said.

Together they got Alec up, and practically carried him to the car. Alec still made weak protests, but he didn't really struggle against them. They should've just carried him to the car since it would've been faster, but he wanted to give Alec a sense that he was still doing ok.

Dean got in the backseat after they got Alec in, and leaned his little brother against himself. Sam situated his leg so it wouldn't fall off the seat and so he was putting pressure on it while it rested on the seat.

"Ok, I know this isn't very comfortable, but we won't be in here very long," Dean whispered, wrapping his arm around Alec's chest. "We'll either find a clinic, or just go to a motel…either way, I'm gonna be the one to get the metal out, ok?"

"Th-thanks Dean…" Alec breathed out.

"And I've got the milk if you want it," Dean said. "We've gotta try to get your shaking down as much as possible. I'm gonna need all the help I can get, ok kiddo?"

Alec nodded; he could tell his little brother was too tired to do much else. He was glad when Sam finally got into the front seat, but he frowned when Henriksen got in on the passenger side.

"What're you doing?" Dean asked.

"I'm going with you," Henriksen stated.

"But it's over. We got out. You can go back to work or whatever," Dean said.

"After all that, you think I've going to go back and work for the FBI?" Henriksen asked. "I know what's out there now. I feel like I could finally make a difference in the world."

"You want to hunt?" Sam asked.

"I think so," Henriksen said with a nod. "Just let me stick around a little while longer, ok?"

"Fine," Dean said. "But just know, we're gonna be breaking the law some more and I'll kick your ass if you try to arrest us."

"I'll give you a free pass," Henriksen said, trying to hide his smile.

"Fine," Dean grumbled. "Let's try to find a clinic."

* * *

 _More soon..._


	10. Chapter 10

"Dean, I'm not seeing anything…" Sam said, after they had driven around town for about 20 minutes.

"Dammit," Dean growled. He was hoping they would finally have some luck, but they still couldn't catch a break. "Alright, find a motel…"

"Wait, I see something," Sam said. Dean craned his neck to try to see what his brother saw, but he couldn't move enough to see it. Alec was asleep, leaning against him with his head resting on his shoulder. He wasn't about to mess up Alec's sleep. Sam sighed though and said, "It's just an animal clinic…"

"That'll work," Dean said as fast as he could. They couldn't be picky now.

"…Ok…if you say so," Sam muttered. "You better wake Alec up."

Dean ran his hand through Alec's hair, and then patted his chest. "Alec, c'mon, we found a place to fix your leg." Alec groaned, but he didn't really wake up. "That Tylenol didn't do anything," he said to Sam. Alec was burning up. He could feel Alec's fever through his shirt; he just didn't know how to bring it back down.

"Well, they aren't going to have anything in there for him," Sam grumbled. "In case you forgot, this is an animal clinic-"

"They have scalpels and gauze and disinfectant…what else do we need?" Dean asked.

"Oxygen, IV fluids, anesthesia," Sam listed off. "Not to mention blood."

"He can't even have normal blood," Dean argued.

"He's going to need something. He's lost too much to keep going," Sam said.

"He can have my blood. It'll be fine," Dean said. He didn't care what it took, he was going to make sure Alec was going to recover from this.

"Dean, you lost a lot of blood too," Sam pointed out.

"One thing at a time, Sammy," Dean muttered. He shook Alec's shoulder this time and said, "Alec, c'mon, you gotta wake up so we can get you inside."

Alec finally frowned and his head turned on his shoulder. "Wh-where are w-we?" Alec whispered with his eyes still closed.

"We found a…clinic," Dean said.

"O-o-ok…"

"C'mon, you gotta wake up just a little bit more," Dean urged. "I don't want to carry you, but I will if I have to."

Alec's eyes slowly opened, but he blinked sluggishly as he tried to wake up the rest of the way. He didn't try to move yet, but that was probably better since Dean knew he'd be in some serious pain once he did. "W-we're at the V-vet?" Alec asked, spotting the sign for the animal clinic.

"Um, yeah, but I think it'll have what we need," Dean tried to reassure.

Alec laughed a little, "Th-that's f-funny."

Dean shook his head, "You think the worst things are funny."

"B-but it is f-funny," Alec argued. "I-I'm a c-cat t-too y'know…Y-you always n-neglect m-my c-cat DNA…"

Dean rolled his eyes and reached over to hit Sam's arm, "Get out so you can help me." Alec was just laughing and joking, but he still hadn't moved. His muscles had to be killing him from his seizures, and he wasn't sure Alec would be able to walk at all, even if his leg wasn't hurt.

Sam opened the back door and asked, "Do you think you can scoot forward?"

Alec blinked a few times, but then barely shook his head no. "I d-don't think I-I can m-move…"

"Sam, hold him up," Dean said. Sam grabbed Alec's hands, and he managed to get out. "Alec, this is gonna hurt…" Alec's tortured cry of pain almost made him stop, but he had to get his little brother out of the car so he could patch up his leg. "Alec, hey, c'mon, you gotta stay with me," Dean pleaded. Alec was barely conscious as he hauled him out of the car. And he did pass out a few seconds later once they were clear. "Alright little brother, we're gonna save your steps, ok?"

Alec didn't answer, but that was ok. He bent down a little, and then tipped Alec over his shoulder. His little brother didn't fight him or argue with him about being carried since he probably didn't even realize what was happening yet. He was still out, but at least he was getting a break from the pain.

"You got him?" Sam asked, running over to his side.

"He's heavier than he looks," Dean said. "But yeah, I got him." He slowly walked over to the back door of the clinic with Alec over his shoulder.

Sam ran ahead to disable any security systems and to pick the lock. Dean just prayed that this place had what they needed. He could make do with what he needed to, but he hoped that they at least had some local anesthetic so they could try to numb Alec's leg before he dug this metal out. He didn't want to put Alec through more pain, but his hopes weren't high that he would be able to accomplish that.

Alec started to come back once they were inside. Sam led the way down a hall, and he followed him to a room with a metal table in it.

"No…" Alec breathed out. "No, I'm sorry…"

Dean quickly, but carefully, got Alec off of his shoulder and slowly helped him stand up. Alec's eyes were wide with panic, and he was staring at the table. "Alec? You ok?" Dean asked, gently shaking his shoulder a little.

Alec tensed and his shaking got worse, "I'm sorry, I can't do it this. Please don't do this. Please…"

"Dean, what's going on?" Sam asked.

"I don't know…I think it's a Manticore thing," Dean said. "Get everything ready…I'll try to snap him out of it."

Alec suddenly started to struggle against his helping hands, so he automatically tightened his grip, which made it worse. Alec fought harder to get away and started yelling, "No! No, I won't do it again! Please don't do this! NO!"

"Alec!" Dean yelled to be heard over his little brother. He moved so he was in front of Alec, and he loosened his grip on one of his shoulders. He wished he could let Alec go completely, but he needed help standing and wouldn't be able to hold himself up if he let go. "Alec, hey, look at me," Dean said, having managed to get Alec to stop yelling. Alec very slowly took his eyes off of the table to look at him instead. He looked so scared and young; Dean really didn't want to put Alec through this, but he didn't have a choice. He gently cupped the side of Alec's face to make sure he would continue to look at him and soothed, "You're not there. You're with me and Sammy and we just gotta take care of your leg, and then we'll leave, ok?"

"O-ok…" Alec whispered.

He pulled Alec in for a hug, and his little brother practically collapsed against him. "It's alright, I've gotcha," Dean reassured, wrapping his arms around Alec. He could feel Alec's shoulders shake with his silent sobs, but he just let him get it all out. He didn't know what all Alec had been through at Manticore, and part of him didn't want to know. His little brother was one of the strongest people he knew, and that place had nearly broken him. But he wasn't there anymore, and Dean would make sure nothing ever took him away again.

"Th-they had a-a t-table like th-that…" Alec whispered after a few minutes. "Th-they n-never put you o-out w-when they op-operated…Th-they just str-strapped you d-down…" Dean kept his arms around Alec; his voice was muffled against his chest, but it was easier for him to talk like this. "It h-hurt s-so bad…S-some k-kids died b-because th-they couldn't t-take it…"

"We're gonna try to find something to numb your leg," Dean soothed. "And you don't have to watch. I'll blindfold you if you want…But I don't think we're gonna be able to find anything to put you out completely…"

"I-I don't know…" Alec said. "I-I don't know if I-I'll be able t-to h-handle being b-blindfolded…"

"It's ok," Dean said softly. "Looks like Sammy's lookin' for everything we need…You think you're ready to sit down?"

Alec quickly shook his head no. "N-not y-yet…"

"Ok, that's alright," Dean said. "Do you want to find a motel instead? We'll leave right now if you do."

"N-no," Alec said. "I'll t-try th-the blindfold…"

"Alec, you don't have to," Dean reassured. "We'll just grab a bunch of this stuff and take it with us."

"N-no I j-just…I th-think my f-fever's too h-high…I k-keep seeing…I th-think I'm h-hallucinating…" Alec whispered.

Dean gave his little brother a small smile and ran his hand through his hair, "Ok, we can try it."

"I think I've got everything," Sam said.

"Get me something to use as a blindfold," Dean said. Sam's mouth popped open in surprise, but he nodded after a minute and grabbed a cloth and brought it over to him. "Alright, close your eyes, kiddo…" He didn't want to do this, but if it would help his little brother get through this, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad. He carefully put the cloth over Alec's eyes and tied it at the back of his head. "Does that help?"

"Y-yeah…"

"Alright, I'm gonna help you over there, ok?" Dean asked. Alec nodded, so he steered him to the table and helped him get onto it. "We're gonna get you a pillow real quick, you just try to relax, ok?"

"Ok," Alec said.

"Sam, where's Henriksen?" Dean asked. He went over to the sink and washed his hands while Sam grabbed a pillow that he'd found and carefully put it under Alec's head.

"I told him to keep watch," Sam said. "I found enough stuff for an IV. And I found this just in case…" Sam walked over to him and showed him a bottle of chloroform.

"Seriously?" Dean asked, shooting a quick look to Alec. He definitely didn't want to use that to knock Alec out. He'd watched movies where they had used that stuff, but it didn't look pleasant.

"I couldn't find anything else," Sam whispered. "And this is only if we have to."

"He's not gonna go for that," Dean said with a shake of his head. He didn't want to go for it either.

"Dean-"

"Did you find a scalpel and everything?" Dean asked before Sam could go on. They couldn't afford to argue right now. Alec needed that metal out of his leg and they were wasting time arguing about it.

"Yeah, I put it all by Alec," Sam said.

"Ok, I'll work on getting the metal out and you keep him calm," Dean said. "You might have to hold him down 'cause he can't move while I'm doin' this…"

"Hey, it's gonna be alright," Sam reassured. "Alec believes you can do this and so do I."

"You know if I mess this up, he'll never walk again," Dean said, his eyes shooting up to his brother's.

"Dean, you can't think like that. I know you're gonna be able to do this," Sam said. "Now, c'mon, we gotta do this while this place is still closed."

"What about his blood?" Dean asked. He wasn't stalling; he was just making sure all their bases were covered. "He lost a lot and this is gonna make it worse."

Sam sighed, "You can give him one bag, but that's it. And I don't think you should do it until after we get the metal out."

"He could bleed to death before then! If I hit something, then it's over," Dean said.

"Or you could pass out from giving too much blood, and he might bleed out anyway. You know more about this than I do. You were always the one that patched me and Dad up. You've gotten bullets outta both of us before and you didn't kill us then," Sam said.

"Fine…" He brushed by Sam and walked back over to Alec. "Alright kiddo, you ready?" Alec didn't answer him so he said, "Alec, c'mon man, you gotta talk to me."

"Y-yeah…" Alec finally replied. He was shaking pretty badly again, which was just going to make this harder.

"Sam, grab his pills and the milk," Dean said. "I think he should take a couple more just in case."

Sam ran and grabbed what he asked for and carefully helped Alec take the pills with a drink of milk. Hopefully that would help keep off the seizures if Alec passed out. He kind of hoped Alec would pass out since that would save him some of the pain, but at the same time, he wanted Alec to keep talking to him, reassuring him that he was still alive.

Dean slowly sat down on the stool Sam had found and examined Alec's leg. There were two pieces of metal; one was up by his knee, and it was big enough that it was jammed in at his knee and up into his thigh. The second piece was lower; it started just below his knee and stopped at about the middle of his calf. The second piece didn't look as deep as the first one, and he didn't have to worry about hitting Alec's bones as much, so he decided he'd start with the second one first.

"Alec, I've gotta cut your leg some so I have some wiggle room, ok?" Dean asked. Sam was up by Alec's chest; he had his hand in one of his hands and his other hand was on Alec's shoulder to help keep him calm.

"Ok," Alec breathed out.

Dean took a deep breath as he grabbed the scalpel, and then carefully cut a little bit below and above the piece of metal. Alec tensed when the blade cut into him, but he didn't show any other sign that what he did was hurting him. He carefully pulled on the metal to see if he could just pull it out, but Alec took in a sharp breath when it didn't just pull free.

"Dammit…" Dean muttered under his breath. This was going to be harder than he thought. He tried pulling at the top to see if he could find where the metal was getting caught at, but Alec's leg started bleeding when he moved it. His blood welled up and made it impossible to see what was going on. He grabbed some of the gauze Sam had found and pressed against Alec's leg. He had no idea what he was doing, and he was just hurting his brother more. But he couldn't stop now; they didn't have any other options. He was Alec's only chance at making it out of this alive.

He started from the bottom this time, and he actually had a little more success this way. He saw where the metal was getting caught at, and he carefully cut Alec's skin to free it. He had to go slow so he wouldn't just rip Alec's muscles to shreds, but it just made it that much more painful for his little brother.

Alec was trying his hardest to keep his sounds of pain to himself, but he couldn't keep them all in. Dean would almost flinch any time Alec whimpered in pain, and he had to stop completely when Alec's cry tore at his heart. Sam was trying to comfort Alec as much as he could, but he would look back at him and give him a reassuring nod every time Alec let a sound slip past his lips.

It took him a long time to get the first piece of metal out of Alec's leg, and he had no idea how he was going to do the second one. This one was supposed to be the easy one; the other one was deeper and in a worse spot than this one.

But he knew he was getting ahead of himself. He pulled the first piece free and dropped it on the little tray Sam had found. He carefully cleaned out the gaping tear in Alec's leg before he stitched it up.

"One down, one to go, little brother," Dean said. His voice was rough, but at least he could try to reassure Alec.

"G-g-good…" Alec weakly replied.

"This one looks a little harder than the last one, so it's probably gonna hurt worse," Dean warned.

Alec nodded that he understood, so Dean started the process over again. But this one was a lot worse than the last one. It was deeper than the first and more jagged. He couldn't slowly work it out like he had on the last one and he couldn't just yank it out since it had more that it could tear. Instead, he cut deeper into Alec, unsure if he was even helping or just causing more damage.

It didn't help that Alec's small whimpers and cries of pain had become more frequent. He was trying to keep it in, but he could only take so much. He'd endured this pain since the crash, and on top of it, he'd had seizures. His body had a breaking point, and they had pretty much reached it.

"Dean, he needs a break," Sam whispered. "And you do too. You've been at this too long."

Dean nodded and slowly set the scalpel down. He washed his hands that were covered in Alec's blood, and walked back over to his little brothers. He carefully took off the blindfold to see if Alec was doing any better; he didn't look great, but his eyes focused on him after a moment which was a good sign.

"Hey kiddo, how ya doin'?" Dean asked.

Alec tried to smile and said, "I-I'm o-ok…"

"Look at this hunk of metal that was in your leg," Dean said, helping Alec sit up so he could see it.

"W-whoa…" Alec breathed out.

Alec couldn't help his wince as he moved him back down. "Alec…we found something that'll knock you out…It'll give you a break from the pain."

"And it would be easier on Dean," Sam threw in. He glared at his little brother for telling Alec that; he didn't want him to know how much easier it would be if he would just pass out.

Alec looked at him, silently begging him to tell him the truth. "Alec, I just want what's best for you. I don't want you to be in pain, but if you feel better while you're conscious, then I want you to stay conscious."

"D-dean…"

"The only thing we've got is chloroform," Dean said before Alec could keep going. He wanted his little brother to know everything before he decided. "It won't keep you out for long, but it might give me enough time to get the other piece of metal out without hurting you too badly."

"Y-you'll have t-to yank it o-out," Alec said. "Knock-knock me o-out and p-pull."

"You sure?" Dean asked, running his hand through Alec's hair.

"Y-yeah…"

"Alright," Dean said. "Sam…" Sam grabbed the bottle and poured some onto a piece of cloth before he handed the cloth to him. "Ok kiddo, take deep breaths, ok?" Alec nodded, so he carefully held the cloth over Alec's nose and mouth. Alec took a deep breath, but then looked up at him.

Dean frowned and pulled the cloth away. "I-I don't f-feel any d-different," Alec whispered.

He looked to Sam and asked, "Why isn't this working? This stuff is supposed to knock him out."

Sam sighed and reached out to grab the cloth. Dean let him as he said, "You watch too many movies…It takes five minutes for it to start working, and then you'll only have five minutes before he wakes up again."

"Seriously? I only get five minutes to get this metal out?" Dean asked.

"I g-gotta breathe th-that stuff f-for five m-minutes?" Alec asked at the same time.

"I doubt he'd be out longer since he burns through painkillers so fast," Sam said to him. He turned to Alec and said, "And yes, you'll have to breathe this in for five minutes. It might not take five minutes, but it's not instantaneous. And you're probably gonna have a bad headache afterwards and you might not know where you are…"

"Th-this sounds s-so great…" Alec grumbled sarcastically.

Dean smiled; Alec grumbling and being sarcastic sounded more like his little brother and it made him feel better. "Hey, at least this won't put you out for three hours."

"Or longer," Sam threw in, knowing he was talking about the times Alec went under for surgery. He was always out for a long time after he got out of surgery, even though he would sometimes wake up during surgery.

"S-surgery is p-painful…t-takes a l-long t-time to r-recover," Alec said.

"Well if you would stay asleep _during_ the surgery, then maybe it wouldn't take so long to wake back up," Dean teased.

"Y-you're so p-picky," Alec said with a small smile.

They all three suddenly looked over to the door as Henriksen ran into the room. "This place opens in an hour, so we'll be lucky to get 30 more minutes without someone coming in."

"Alright kiddo, you start breathing so I can get this out and we can leave before anyone finds us," Dean said.

Alec nodded, and Sam covered his nose and mouth again with the cloth. Dean moved back to the metal in Alec's leg and tried to figure out the best way to do this. But the best he could come up with was just to yank it out like Alec had said.

"Henriksen…I could use some help," Dean reluctantly said. He hated asking for help, but he only had a few minutes to get the metal out and it was in there deep. He didn't think he'd be able to get it just by himself. Henriksen came over to him so he said, "We've gotta pull as hard as we can once he's out."

Henriksen nodded and stood next to him, waiting for the signal.

It took about five minutes, just like Sam said, before Alec's muscles slowly relaxed. He saw his eyelids droop, and then his head turned to the side once he was out. Sam pulled the cloth away and looked over at him, giving him a short nod to go ahead.

Dean grabbed the bottom piece of the metal while Henriksen grabbed the top. "On three," Dean said. "One, two, three."

* * *

 _More soon..._


	11. Chapter 11

"One, two, three."

They both pulled at the same time, and very slowly the metal started to come free. "Ok, stop for a second, and then we'll pull again," Dean said.

"He's still out," Sam said.

Dean looked to Henriksen to make sure he was ready before he said again, "One, two, three." They pulled as hard as they could, and suddenly the metal yanked free. But this piece must have nicked something important because a second later Alec's blood welled up and started leaking down his thigh to pool on the table beneath him. "Shit," Dean breathed out. He forced his fingers through the jagged line in Alec's skin and tried to scoop away the blood so he could see what was wrong.

He knew he didn't have much time left. Alec could wake up at any moment and he'd already lost a lot of blood; he couldn't afford to lose much more.

"Henriksen, I need some gauze," Dean said.

Henriksen was ready for him and gave him the gauze as soon as he asked for it. He forced some gauze into Alec's wound to try to soak up some of the blood so he could see. Henriksen clicked on a flashlight, and suddenly he could see a lot better. He saw a tear in something squishy looking that was definitely leaking out blood.

"I need some sutures," Dean said. "Find whatever ones disintegrate or whatever…"

"To the left. There's a whole bunch of stuff in the drawer to the left of the door," Sam said.

Henriksen ran over there and started digging through the drawer. He looked over at Sam, who was looking back at him in panic. Before he could try to reassure his little brother, Henriksen came back over with a suture kit and handed it to him. He went as fast as he could to stitch up the tear that was killing his little brother; he just prayed that he had found it in time.

He quickly cleaned out Alec's wound once he had stopped the bleeding and stitched up the jagged line left by the metal. Once Alec was all stitched up, he stood and walked over to the sink to wash his hands. He didn't like seeing Alec's blood covering his skin and he wanted it off. He still had blood all over his clothes, but that was going to have to wait.

"Alec, c'mon, you gotta wake up," Sam softly pleaded. "Dean fixed up your leg, so it's time to get outta here."

Dean walked back over to his little brother and ran his hand through his hair. He gently tapped his cheek to try to get him to wake up, but he didn't. Alec's skin was still hot, but it wasn't burning like it had been. Either his fever had dropped, or he'd lost too much blood.

"Sam, we need to give him some blood," Dean said.

"Yeah, you're right," Sam agreed. Sam started looking for what they would need to give Alec a transfusion when a little bell jingled in the front room.

"I'll check it out," Henriksen said, leaving the room again. At least they had the FBI on their side now.

Dean tapped Alec's cheek a little harder, and then patted his chest. "Alec, c'mon kiddo, come on back…I think we've got company, which means we gotta go. I can't carry you this time…I don't wanna mess up all the work I just did." Alec still didn't wake up, but he frowned when he saw a grayish tint to his little brother's lips. "Alec? Alec, hey!" Dean yelled. He put two fingers against Alec's throat to check his pulse, but he couldn't find one. He put his hand up by Alec's nose and mouth to try to feel his breath against his hand, but there was nothing. "Dammit Alec…"

"Dean?" Sam asked, sounding like he was six.

"He's going into shock," Dean said, putting one hand on the middle of Alec's chest and his other hand on top of his first. He started compressions and said, "He lost too much blood…He's not breathing and he doesn't have a pulse…" He looked over at his brother as he tried to bring Alec back; Sam was terrified. He hadn't been there when Alec had nearly drowned; he hadn't seen Alec's lifeless body or the blue tint to his skin. He was more of a grayish color this time, but it didn't hurt any less. He finished his round of compressions, so he tipped Alec's head back, pinched his nose, and breathed twice for him before he started compressions again.

"What do I do?" Sam asked, lost.

"Start an IV," Dean said. "Get him on that, and then find the stuff for a transfusion."

"What if-"

"Sam!" Dean yelled. He didn't want to yell, but he needed his brother to focus. Alec wasn't going to die; he wouldn't let him. He had to breathe for Alec again, so he didn't see if Sam jumped into action or not. Once he went back to compressions, he saw that Sam was working fast to make up an IV bag.

He should've given Alec blood sooner. He knew his little brother had lost too much and he should've given him some before he'd taken the metal out.

He really should have never done what Alec wanted in the first place. He should've taken his little brother straight to the hospital. He could lose him now and it would be all his fault.

He gave Alec two breaths, and then started another round of compressions. Sam came over and inserted the needle into the vein on the inside of Alec's left elbow and hung the bag on a pole that he'd found.

"What the Hell happened?" Henriksen asked, running back in.

"He went into shock," Dean said. He was slightly breathless, but he wasn't going to stop until he got his little brother back.

"Was someone here?" Sam asked.

"Well-" Henriksen sighed as he was suddenly pushed aside. A young woman forced her way inside, glaring at them. Her gaze softened slightly when she took in what was going on, but she still didn't look happy.

Dean didn't care who she was; he was only worried about getting Alec back. He ignored her as he forced air into Alec's lungs. There was still no sign of life from his little brother.

"Sam, go get the battery from the Impala," Dean said. "And grab the jumper cables."

"Are you serious?" Sam asked, his eyes wide.

"We need some way to shock him," Dean said. "Jump start his heart…"

"That's insane!" Sam yelled. "We can't jump his heart like you do the battery!"

"I have a defibrillator!" The woman suddenly exclaimed like they were insane. "I need some help carrying things, but I have some equipment that might help."

Dean looked to Sam and said, "Go." Sam nodded and quickly left with the woman. "Henriksen, get the scissors. When I breathe for him, you cut his shirt so she can put those sticker things on his chest."

Henriksen did as he was told and waited for him to stop compressions. Dean breathed for his little brother while Henriksen cut his shirt down the middle.

"Alec's gonna be pissed…he hates losing shirts…" Dean said breathlessly.

"How long's he been down?" Henriksen asked softly.

"I-I don't know…" Dean said. He was wearing down, so he knew it had been a while.

"I can take over compressions," Henriksen offered.

Dean shook his head no, "I know which ribs are broken…I can't let him go…"

"I know," Henriksen said. "Just know that I'm here if you need me.

Dean looked at the other man; they had been enemies before all this started, and now Henriksen was sticking with them and helping keep Alec alive. Henriksen was their friend now…

"Dean," Sam said, lugging an oxygen tank in with him. The woman came in behind him carrying a defibrillator. He prayed that this would work; Alec was at the end of the line and if they didn't get him back now, then he was going to die.

The woman set up the defibrillator, but waited until he was breathing for Alec again before she put the sticker pads on Alec's chest. She taped down some electrodes onto him too so they could hear his heart being forced to beat through the defibrillator. She signaled for him to stop, and then rolled Alec onto his side so she could slide a rubber mat under his back before she laid him on his back again and let him start compressions again.

"It needs to warm up a second," she said as Dean continued to keep his little brother alive. "When I say, you need to stop and back away so I can shock him." Dean nodded that he understood. "Sam, you push the buttons when I say."

"Ok," Sam replied, setting the oxygen tank on the ground and coming over to them again. The woman showed Sam which buttons to push, and then turned to him again.

"It's ready. Finish this cycle, give him two breaths, and then step away," the woman said calmly. Dean did as he was told, even though it was nearly impossible to step away from his brother after giving him two breaths of air. The woman put the paddles against Alec's chest and yelled, "Clear!" Sam pushed the button and electricity shot through Alec, forcing his back to arch up off of the table. Alec's heartbeat sounded for a second before he flatlined again.

"Charge to 360," the woman said. Sam pushed another button, and then nodded to the woman. "Clear!" Electricity shot through Alec again, but he still flatlined. "Charge to 400." The woman looked up at him, and he knew this was it. She had a look in her eyes that told him if Alec didn't come back this time, then he was gone. "Clear," she whispered.

Alec's back arched for the third time, and Dean held his breath and prayed that Alec would come back to them. His heartbeat continued, and Alec let out the weakest cough he had ever heard. But he was alive! He and Sam were there instantly; he couldn't help grabbing his little brother and pulling him into a tight hug. Alec's breathing sounded ragged, but his hand had come up to fist in his jacket. Sam's arms wrapped around him and Alec, but Dean didn't care that they were having the biggest chick-flick moment of all time.

They had almost lost Alec, but he managed to fight his way back.

"Don't you ever do that again, you hear me?" Dean asked. His voice was thick with the tears he was holding back. "We can't lose you."

Alec sort of nodded back; he was being crushed between him and Sam, so the small movement was all he could make.

"Dean, we should get him on oxygen, and then get the transfusion going," Sam said after a few more seconds of their group hug. Sam hadn't moved though, and he didn't want to move either. He felt like Alec would slip away again if he moved.

"Um, Val said she's setting something up in the back room," Henriksen suddenly said. He'd kind of forgotten about Henriksen and the woman. "She said she needs this room so we'll have to move…"

Sam pulled away from them and said, "I'll move the oxygen tank and the supplies for the transfusion, and then I'll be back."

Dean nodded, but kept his arms around Alec. "I'll have to pick you up, ok kiddo?" Dean asked softly. "You lost a lot of blood, and I don't think standing is gonna be an option for a while." He hadn't wanted to move Alec before, but now he didn't have a choice. Alec was too hurt to be carried, but they had to move and this was the only way.

"Ok," Alec whispered. His little brother was shaking, and he didn't know if it was because of the seizures still or because he had nearly died.

"But I'm not gonna move you until everything's ready," Dean said.

"D-dean, I'm s-sorry…" Alec breathed out, tears in his voice.

Dean frown and pulled back to hold Alec at arm's length, "Why are you sorry?"

"I th-thought I could b-be stronger….I tried to h-hold on but I c-couldn't…I sh-shouldn't have made y-you do this," Alec said, a tear streaking down his cheek.

Dean quickly wiped away the tear and pulled Alec in close again. "It's not your fault, Alec. Everything's ok," Dean reassured. "If I had taken you to the hospital, they would've called it. They would've given up thinking you couldn't come back and I would've lost you." He couldn't handle it if Alec died. Just the thought of it was making him sick. "You ready to move to the other room? You're lookin' a little sleepy and you can't fall asleep until we get you on some oxygen and get some blood moving."

"Ok," Alec whispered.

"Alright, I'm gonna pick you up and it's gonna hurt, but it'll be better than if you tried to hop to the other room," Dean said.

"I can walk," Alec weakly protested.

"No you can't," Dean instantly refuted. "We need to get a scan of your leg to see how damaged it is. But you're gonna stay off of it for a long time, kiddo. I'll get you some crutches though once I think you're ready."

He expected Alec to argue, but he just nodded back. He was out of energy, which meant he needed to get Alec set up in the other room before he had a repeat of his little brother trying to check out on him. He leaned Alec back slightly so he could get the electrodes off of his chest and the stickers for the defibrillator. His little brother didn't look happy to see his shirt was ruined, but he really was out of energy since he didn't say anything about it.

"Here, you're gonna have to hold this," Dean said, putting the IV bag on Alec's stomach. Alec smiled a little and nodded his ok.

Dean carefully slid his arm under Alec's knees and shifted his other arm so he could lift Alec up. His little brother took in a sharp breath, but then whimpered from the pain in his ribs. His leg had to be killing him too; he didn't want to move his little brother so soon, but he didn't have a choice.

"Hey, it's ok," Dean soothed as he carried his little brother to the back room. Sam had a nice area of pillows and blankets set up, so he carried Alec over and slowly started to put him down. "Sam, help me with his leg." Sam held Alec's leg as he lowered him down, and then propped his leg up with a couple of pillows. Dean situated the pillows behind Alec and hung the IV bag on a pole before he started to move away, but Alec reached out and caught his sleeve to stop him.

"D-don't go…" Alec whispered.

"Ok, I'm not goin' anywhere," Dean reassured. He sat back next to Alec and wrapped his arm around his little brother's shaking shoulders. Alec leaned against him and closed his eyes in relief. "Sam, hand me the oxygen," Dean said softly. Sam grabbed the oxygen mask and passed it over to him, making sure the tubes weren't tangled after he did so. "Ok kiddo, I'm gonna put the oxygen mask on you," Dean warned. "I know you don't like it, but it'll help. It'll help you breathe and it'll help me and Sammy know you're still with us."

Alec nodded, so he carefully put the mask over Alec's nose and mouth and put the strap over his head to keep it in place. The mask fogged up with Alec's breath, which made him feel better to see.

"Dean, you ready?" Sam asked, holding up the needle and the empty bag for his blood.

"We're not just gonna do it directly to him?" Dean asked.

"Val doesn't have the equipment for that. She almost didn't have this," Sam said. "Besides, this way we aren't just guessing on how much you should give."

"Alright," Dean agreed. He held out his arm so Sam could get the needle in his vein, and then watched as his blood traveled down the little tube and into the bag.

"I'm gonna get him some ice for his ribs," Sam said, standing up.

"Grab some milk or water and his pills. I'll try to get him to take a couple more since his shaking isn't going away," Dean said. Sam nodded before he left the room. Alec shivered after he left, and Dean wished he'd had Sam cover Alec with one of the blankets before he left. He saw one a few feet away, but he couldn't move without jostling Alec.

Henriksen walked in though and asked, "What do you need? I can run out to the store or keep watch back here…"

"Can you hand me that blanket?" Dean asked.

Henriksen quickly grabbed the blanket and unfolded it. "You want it on just him or both of you?"

"Just him," Dean said. Henriksen nodded and carefully draped it over Alec. "How'd you get her to let us stay?" Dean asked, suddenly remembering there had been a problem, but he had been too worried about Alec to care about it.

"Val?" Henriksen asked back.

"Yeah, she didn't look like she wanted us to stick around," Dean said.

"I told her I was FBI and we needed to use her clinic," Henriksen said with a shrug. "Just had to show her my badge and that was it. She's not happy about it, but I told her we'd stay out of her way and that we'd leave as soon as we were able to."

"Alec just needs a couple hours," Dean said. "I'd like to take the oxygen with us so he could have it, but I don't think Val's gonna go for that."

"I don't know…after she saw Alec, she softened up a bit. She said she'd check on us when she got a chance," Henriksen said.

Sam walked back in before he could ask Henriksen anything else. "I got his pills, some milk, and a change of clothes for when we're ready to leave," Sam said. "And some ice for his ribs."

"He's gonna hate me for the ice," Dean said. Sam handed him two bags of ice, and he moved the blanket to put one bag on Alec's right side and one on his left. Alec's eyes flew open in surprise and he silently begged for him to take them off. "Alec, this will help," Dean soothed. "And you still have a pretty high fever, so maybe this will drop it down a bit."

"Dean, we need to get some food," Sam said. "We haven't eaten in two days."

"I can grab food," Henriksen offered.

"No, I better do it,'' Sam said. "Alec's picky when he's hurt."

"Nothing solid for him. I don't think he'll be able to keep it down," Dean said.

"Alright, I'll be back in a few minutes," Sam said, leaving again.

"Alec, can you take some pills for me before you fall asleep again," Dean gently asked. Alec nodded and reached up a shaky hand to remove the oxygen mask. He dropped a couple pills into Alec's hand so he could take them. Dean settled the mask back over Alec's face and ruffled his hair as he rested against him again.

Dean watched to make sure he kept breathing; he was afraid it was taking too long to get Alec some blood, but he had no way to speed up the process. The blood bag was about half full, but it wasn't enough yet. He wished he could give Alec more than one bag, but Sam was right, he'd lost some blood too and he needed to be there for Alec.

He could hear people talking in another room after a while, and a dog barked so he figured the clinic had opened. He hoped they would be able to stay until Alec was able to move, but he didn't want a lot of people to know they were there.

"Hey, so I got him some Jell-O, pudding, and soup," Sam said when he came back. It had been a short trip, so he must have found a store nearby. "I know he doesn't like soup, but he might be hungry so I thought I'd grab some…"

"Let's try the Jell-O," Dean said. "He's not gonna go for the soup and I don't want him throwing up the pudding."

"How're his seizures?" Sam asked as he got the Jell-O ready for Alec.

"They've gone down some, but his arms and hands are still shaking," Dean said, rubbing Alec's shoulder. "What'd you get for us to eat?"

"Just some sandwiches," Sam said. "I didn't think we should really overdo it since we haven't eaten for a while…"

"That'll work," Dean said. He wasn't going to be picky since he was starving, but he wanted to try to get Alec to eat something before he ate anything.

"Henriksen, turkey or ham?" Sam asked after a moment.

He didn't bother to listen to Henriksen's answer, instead he shook Alec's shoulder and carefully took off the oxygen mask. "Hey kiddo, can you wake up for me?" Alec's eyes slowly opened; he looked so confused and tired, it was obvious that he didn't know where he was. "Everything's ok," Dean soothed. "We're at the clinic, remember?" Alec's eyes closed again and his head hit his shoulder.

"Dean, arm," Sam said, reaching for his arm with the needle.

He reached out so Sam could take the needle out as he tried to wake Alec up again. "C'mon Alec, we need you to eat something, and then you can go back to sleep."

"I d-don't feel g-good," Alec whispered.

"It's Jell-O, so maybe it'll help," Dean said. Alec didn't say anything, so he knew his little brother didn't want to do it. "Maybe just a couple bites?"

"At least drink a little water," Sam said, moving over to Alec's other side. "You're still dehydrated…"

Alec groaned weakly, but finally nodded. Dean motioned for Sam to hand him Alec's food, but he had to wait until Sam got a new needle into Alec's arm. He hung the blood bag on the same pole as the IV bag before he handed over the food.

Dean popped open the Jell-O and took the plastic spoon to get Alec a small bite. His little brother reluctantly ate it, and actually ate a few bites before he refused to eat any more. "Ok, try to sleep a little more," Dean said once Alec was done.

Alec rested against him, and was asleep again almost instantly.

"Let's eat, and then we can patch each other up," Sam said once Alec was out.

Dean nodded his agreement and took his sandwich from Sam. He settled the oxygen mask over Alec's nose and mouth again before he took a huge bite of his sandwich.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	12. Chapter 12

Sam had let Dean patch him up first since his brother threw a fit when he tried to get him to wait. But he wasn't as hurt as Dean, and nowhere near how bad Alec was, so it didn't take too long. He had some broken ribs, a ton of bruises, and a strained right elbow, but nothing serious enough for anything more than just a few days of rest.

Dean let him patch him up once he was satisfied he was alright. His older brother had a deep gash on the left side of his head from the crash, he had even more cuts and bruises than he did, and he had bite marks on his neck identical to the ones on Alec's neck. Overall, they were sore and needed some time off, but they were in pretty good shape compared to their little brother.

They were lucky to still have their little brother.

Dean's head suddenly hit the wall with a thunk, and he immediately startled awake. He looked down at Alec, who was still sleeping against him, before he relaxed again.

"Dean, go to sleep," Sam said. Dean shook his head no and pulled Alec closer. "Dean, c'mon man, you're exhausted."

"You are too," Dean argued.

"I slept earlier when we were still trapped," Sam said. "You haven't slept yet, and I doubt you're gonna let me drive, so you need to rest."

"No," Dean stated. He looked away to try to ignore him, but he wasn't going to let this go.

"Dean-"

"I can't, ok?" Dean cut off. "I can't sleep…"

Dean looked down, and he saw him look at Alec. Dean was afraid that Alec would die if he fell asleep. "Hey, I'm gonna watch over him and I'll wake you up if anything happens," Sam reassured. "He's still on oxygen and he's got a little more color now that he's got a little more blood. I think he'll be ok while you sleep for a while."

"What if he wakes up?" Dean asked suspiciously.

"I'll wake you up if he does," Sam said.

"Where's Henriksen?" Dean suddenly asked, looking around the room in confusion.

"He said he needed to call the office," Sam replied slowly. Dean was there when Henriksen left; he should remember having a conversation with the man. "Check in and sort of make something up about what happened, remember?"

Dean shook his head no, "He said all that?"

Sam sighed, "Alright, you need to sleep."

"I'm-"

"Dean, go to sleep," Sam ordered. His brother still looked like he was about to argue, so he reasoned, "Alec's gonna need all the help he can get when he wakes up and you and I both know he responds better to you when he's hurt, so you need to be at your best for him. Which means you need to sleep, and now would be the best time since he's asleep too."

Dean just stared at him for another minute before he asked, "You promise you'll wake me up if anything happens?"

"Yes," Sam said.

Dean looked at Alec one more time before he scooted down next to their little brother and fell asleep. Sam grabbed another blanket and put it over Dean to hopefully help him sleep better. He sat next to Alec and rubbed his shoulder so he knew he had someone on both sides.

"S'm…" Alec slurred, opening his eyes and looking up at him blearily.

"Hey buddy, you ok?" Sam whispered. He was afraid Dean was going to wake up right after he'd finally gotten him to sleep. But Dean was out, and even though he felt a little guilty for breaking his promise, he didn't wake his brother up. He knew Alec wouldn't stay awake for long and he didn't want to fight with Dean again.

"Wh-where are we?" Alec asked in confusion. His voice was muffled since he still had the oxygen mask on, but he needed the oxygen and he could still understand him.

"We're at the animal clinic," Sam said, hoping to see a spark of recognition, but Alec just blinked a few times before he rested against Dean again. "Do you remember what happened?" Sam asked gently.

"No…" Alec breathed out. He clenched his jaw in pain and looked down at his leg. "My l-leg hurts…"

"How bad?" Sam asked.

"Bad," Alec admitted.

"Ok, I'm gonna find some painkillers, ok?" Sam asked. Now he needed to wake Dean up; he couldn't leave Alec alone right now. He shook Dean's shoulder and said, "Dean, Alec's up and I've gotta find some painkillers."

"I'm up," Dean said, startling awake.

"I'll be right back," Sam said. He stood up and practically ran out of the room to find some painkillers. He peeked out to the next room since he knew Val could be out there with other people right now. He didn't want to mess things up for her, but Alec needed painkillers and he wasn't going to waste too much time sneaking around.

He started into the room and towards the far door when it suddenly opened. He and Val both jumped as they nearly ran into each other.

"Sorry, I was just looking for some painkillers," Sam said.

"I was just about to check on you guys," Val said at the same time. They looked at each other for a moment, but then it looked like something just dawned on her and she asked, "You said you were looking for painkillers?"

"Yeah, Alec's leg is killing him and I was hoping you had something that might take the edge off enough for him to go back to sleep," Sam said, but then he started rambling since she was just looking at him. "I mean, he won't be asleep for long, but it might help a little bit. But if you need us to go, I think we could move him now. It's been a few hours and he's had a little bit of rest…we can't ask for more than that."

"He hasn't had any painkillers?" Val asked, ignoring everything else he'd said.

"Well, he's got a really fast metabolism so painkillers don't usually help, but we tried to numb his leg before we got the metal out," Sam tried to defend.

Val turned and left the room, leaving him alone. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to follow her or not, or if she wanted them to leave. He really didn't know what he should do, but he knew Alec needed him to get back soon.

He was just about to go back to his brothers when Val came back. "I cannot believe he hasn't had any painkillers…" She was carrying a little vial and a syringe, which she filled up as she walked. He quickly trailed behind her as she led the way back to his brothers.

Dean nearly jumped up when Val busted into the room, but he relaxed a little when his eyes landed on him. He still didn't look happy at Val's entrance, but he didn't say anything.

Well, he didn't say anything until Val crouched down beside Alec and reached for his IV. "What the Hell do you think you're doing?" Dean growled.

"I'm giving him morphine because he's in pain and he should've had it as soon as you got here," Val snapped back.

"Dean, she's trying to help," Sam tried to smooth over. Alec looked scared and confused, and Dean's tone wasn't helping anything. Alec relied on Dean when he was hurt, and if Dean was freaking out, then Alec was going to freak out.

"You don't just go around injecting people without tellin' them what it is you're doin'," Dean grumbled. He pulled Alec closer, and shot him a quick look. Sam knew his brother was thinking about the little bit they knew about Alec's time at Manticore. Alec had mentioned some of the experiments they had done on him, and that he never knew what they were injecting him with.

Val must have seen something on their faces, because she softened after a moment and said, "I'm sorry. I should have told you what I was doing first."

"It's ok," Sam reassured. He knew Val didn't mean to freak them out; she was just trying to help.

"How ya doin' kiddo?" Dean gently asked. Alec looked blearily back at Dean and barely shook his head no. "You need some more ice? Is it your ribs or your leg that hurts the most?"

"Leg…" Alec whispered.

"Val gave you some morphine, so that should kick in pretty soon," Dean reassured. "And we're gonna go to Bobby's soon, ok kiddo?"

"Wh-where are we?" Alec asked, his voice small.

Sam tried to remain calm as he said, "We're at the animal clinic, remember?" He'd just told Alec where they were; his little brother should've remembered from just a few minutes ago.

"Sam, he just woke up," Dean quickly defended.

"I told him where we were before I woke you up," Sam replied.

"Alec, do you remember what happened? Do you know what happened to your leg?" Dean asked.

Alec frowned and thought for a minute before he shook his head no. "My head hurts…"

He immediately looked to Dean and asked, "Did he hit his head? I don't remember that being on his list of injuries…"

"I don't think so," Dean said. He put his hand against Alec's forehead, and then said, "His fever's gone up though…" He carefully checked Alec's head for bumped or cuts, but he looked up after a moment and shook his head no. "How's his IV and blood bag?"

"Almost done with both," Sam said, checking both bags.

"Does he need another IV?" Val suddenly asked. He and Dean both jumped, forgetting that she was there. "Sorry," Val said, seeing them jump. "But I can make one up if you need me to."

Dean nodded, "He could use another since we can't give him anymore blood."

"I'll be back soon," Val said, getting up and leaving the room.

Alec tensed suddenly and tried to curl in on himself. His arms were wrapped around his middle and his eyes were clenched tightly against the pain. "Alec, hey," Dean said, trying to get Alec to lie back again. Alec refused to budge, and tried to curl up in a ball. His movement was too much for his body though, making him cry out in pain. "C'mon kiddo, you gotta work with me here…" Dean muttered.

"Dean… something's wrong," Alec barely breathed out.

Dean bent closer to Alec and carefully took off the oxygen mask so he could hear and said, "Alright, tell me what's goin' on."

"I-I don't know…" Alec said miserably.

Dean ran his hand through Alec's hair, "Is it something with your seizures? Do you need a couple more pills?" Alec's shaking had gone down quite a bit since they'd gotten his pills, but small tremors still wracked his body every so often. He started to move to get his little brother's pills, but Dean hit his arm to stop him.

Alec shook his head no, "I don't…it j-just-" Alec cried out in pain, and he and Dean reached out at the same time to put their hands on his shoulder to help comfort him.

"Alec, you gotta lie flat," Dean urged. "You've got four broken ribs and about half of 'em are bruised. You could puncture a lung like this…" Alec's eyes suddenly unfocused like he was about to pass out. Dean must have been thinking along the same lines because he quickly tapped Alec's cheek and said, "Hey, c'mon kiddo, stay with me."

Alec opened his eyes again, but it didn't look like he was going to be able to stay awake. "Alec, hey, can you drink some water? Or maybe a little bit of milk?" Sam asked, trying to distract his little brother.

"I-I might th-throw up," Alec whispered.

"Try not to think about it," Dean soothed. "Think about how awesome it's gonna be to stay at Bobby's for a while. He's gonna cook for us and we'll just hang around watching TV. How does that sound?" Alec slowly nodded and relaxed just a little bit; Sam quickly motioned for his brother to keep talking since it seemed to be helping. "And I might be able to get you some visitors. Maybe Ellen and Jo…Rufus…Garth…I might even be able to talk Max into a short visit. I know she's busy, but she could probably spare a few days."

Alec slowly uncurled, so he and Dean gently maneuvered him until he was lying against the pillows again.

"Did the morphine kick in?" Dean asked. Alec was practically trembling when he shook his head no. "Ok, c'mere…" Dean said, scooting down next to Alec and wrapping his arm around his shoulders again. "We'll leave here pretty soon, ok? I just wanna get some more fluids in ya before we drive for 12 hours."

"12 hours?" Alec asked softly.

"Yeah, it's gonna be a long trip," Dean said. He grabbed the oxygen mask and put it over Alec's nose and mouth again. Alec pulled away though and scowled back at Dean. "No Alec, you still need this. You're barely breathing."

"I d-don't like it," Alec complained.

"Hey, for me, alright?" Dean asked. This was where Dean was better at taking care of Alec when he was hurt than he was. Dean could get Alec to do things even when he didn't want to. He would pull the big brother card and Alec would just drop his argument.

Alec nodded, just like he knew he would, and Dean put the oxygen mask back on him.

The three of them all looked up when Val and Henriksen both came into the room at the same time. Val had another IV bag in her hands, and she walked over to where they had hung up the first bag and changed them out. She looked over at him, and then asked, "Do you want me to remove the needle for the blood bag? It's almost empty…"

"Yeah, you can take it out," Sam said.

"You doin' any better?" Dean whispered to Alec. He sort of nodded back, but he didn't bother lifting his head from Dean's shoulder.

"Is the morphine working?" Sam asked.

"Starting to," Alec breathed out.

"Maybe we should head out while the mophine's working," Sam suggested. "At least get a few miles in while he's out."

Dean nodded, "Yeah, we'll call Bobby from the road. If he starts hurting we'll have to stop for the night somewhere."

"Henriksen, are you coming with us?" Sam asked.

"If you'll let me," Henriksen said.

Sam smiled and nodded; it'd be great for them to have the FBI on their side and Henriksen would actually make a pretty good hunter.

"I'll get our stuff," Sam said as he walked with Henriksen towards the door.

"I'll get you some things to take with you," Val suddenly said. "And if you want, we can get an x-ray of his knee."

"Really?" Dean asked, surprised.

Val nodded, "I don't have another appointment for another hour, so we have time."

"Yeah, that'd be awesome," Dean said.

"I'll get it set up, and then I'll be back," Val said.

* * *

"He'll need a brace. He has a couple of hairline fractures and I'm sure his muscles are torn, but I think one of the stronger braces should be fine. But he'll need to stay in bed and not move for about a week before he starts using crutches," Val said. "And I gave Sam two bottles of morphine and enough syringes to finish off both. It should be more than enough to get you where you're going, and then some."

"Thanks," Dean said. They were packed up, they all got cleaned up, Alec was passed out in the backseat with a couple pillows and blankets, and they were just about ready to start the long trip to Bobby's. He just hoped Alec could make it at least halfway there, maybe more. He knew the ride was going to be hard on his little brother, but once they got to Bobby's, then they wouldn't be leaving for a long time.

"Any idea what we should do for his fever?" Sam asked as he walked towards them.

"Keep him hydrated and let him rest," Val said with a shrug. "Can't do much more than that."

"Thanks for everything, Val," Sam said.

She nodded back, "Just glad I could help."

"Henriksen, you're up front with Sam," Dean said as he opened the back door. He carefully lifted Alec's shoulders and sat down before he settled Alec against him. "Sam, if she starts drivin' funny, we'll switch, ok?"

"Alright Dean," Sam said, putting the Impala in gear and driving away from the clinic.

"Before we leave town, stop at a store so we can get some snacks," Dean said. Sam nodded and stopped at the first store he found. "Stay here. I'll find some stuff Alec likes, and then I'll be back," Dean said as he moved out from under Alec.

"Get some water too," Sam said. "And maybe some ice in case his fever gets too high."

Dean nodded, and then asked, "Henriksen, you want anything?"

"I'm good," Henriksen replied.

Dean got out and ran inside, but he froze as soon as he walked in. Sam had stopped at the store they went to right after they had gotten out. The kid that had helped him before was standing behind the counter again.

The kid looked up and looked at him in confusion for a second before his eyes lit up in recognition. Dean sighed and quickly made his way down to the food. The kid followed him though and said, "Hey, you're that guy!" He ignored the kid and grabbed some Ritz crackers and some gummies for when Alec woke up. "Y'know, you look a lot different all cleaned up. I hardly recognized you," the kid continued. He rolled his eyes and headed for the medicine section. "Are you getting some more milk too? You seem to really like milk…"

"Look kid, I'm just makin' a quick stop here," Dean said.

"Hey, I get it," the kid said quickly. "If you need help with anything, you just let me know, ok? I'm happy to help." Dean nodded as he grabbed a few ice packs for Alec's knee and some more gauze just in case some of his stitches broke. "So, you in town for a while?" The kid asked.

"Just passin' through…" Dean muttered. He went to the coolers next and grabbed a whole case of water for the four of them.

"What was with all the blood last time?" The kid asked. "Did you really get in a fight or what?" He walked to the counter without answering and set everything up so the kid would do his job. The kid rang up his items, but asked, "Are you running from the cops?"

"I'm with the FBI, kid," Dean growled.

"Oooh," the kid said in understanding. "That makes a little more sense now."

He tossed some money down and said, "Keep the change."

"Thank you for your service!" The kid called out as he grabbed his things and left.

* * *

"How's he doin'?" Sam asked him after they had driven for about half way.

"Not great…" Dean replied, dabbing at Alec's forehead with a damp cloth. Alec had been sleeping for most of the trip, but then his fever spiked again, only this time worse than before. He was muttering nonsense over and over again, and he couldn't get him to snap out of it.

"What's he saying?" Sam asked, trying to look over his shoulder to see him.

"I can only catch a few words," Dean said. "Loyalty, discipline, duty, mission…He just says it over and over."

"Can he drink some water?" Henriksen asked. "Or maybe we can put some ice packs on him to cool him down."

"I've got the ice packs on his knee to bring down the swelling. And I can't get him to wake up enough to drink any water," Dean said. "When he sort of wakes up…he's not here…he doesn't recognize me or know where he is."

"Blindfold him again and talk to him," Sam said. "Maybe he'll come back to us then."

He wasn't sure that would work, but he was willing to try anything at this point. He carefully tied some cloth over Alec's eyes and whispered, "Hey kiddo, can you hear me?" He met Sam's eyes in the rearview mirror, unsure if he was doing this right. Sam gave him an encouraging nod though, and motioned for him to keep going. "Your fever's up pretty high again, and we'd feel better if you'd wake up for a few minutes…"

"Tell him something," Sam said. "Something about one of our hunts or something…"

"Which one?" Dean asked.

"I don't know…Henriksen, anything you want to know about hunting?" Sam asked.

"What happened at the bank?" Henriksen asked.

"It was a shapeshifter," Dean said. "Ronald, the security guard, was tracking it…thought it was a mandroid…" He chuckled remembering how close Ronald had been to the truth, and how Sam had confiscated all of his tapes. Sam actually made a pretty good FBI agent; he and Henriksen should get along fine. "We figured out it was a shapeshifter and went to the bank to watch the cameras and figure out who it was. A shifter's eyes flash when they're caught on camera, so we were going to watch until we found the shifter. But Ronald messed all that up trying to take it on himself…locking the bank up and wavin' a gun around."

"If you two were watching the cameras, how'd you end up helping him?" Henriksen asked.

"We saw there was trouble and went down to try to talk him out of it," Dean said. "Since Ronald had already rounded everyone up, we decided this would be the only time to find the shifter."

"Alright…it makes a little more sense now," Henriksen said. "I couldn't figure out why you would rob a bank after everything that happened in St. Louis and at the prison. Didn't make any sense."

"Yeah, well, we don't always make the best decisions…" Dean muttered.

"Dean?" Alec asked weakly. He started to reach up for the blindfold, but he gently grabbed Alec's hand and rested it on his stomach. He was so weak that he didn't even fight him on that or try again to get the blindfold off.

"Hey kiddo," Dean said. "How 'bout we leave the blindfold on for a little while, huh? Your fever's makin' it so you don't really know where you are…"

"Ok…" Alec breathed out.

"How's your leg?" Dean asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Hurts," Alec said.

"You want some water? Or maybe some crackers?" Dean asked. He really wanted to try to keep Alec awake for a few minutes at least. He didn't want him to slip back into the crazy mutterings his fever was bringing on. He wanted his little brother back.

"Where are we?" Alec asked instead of answering.

Henriksen passed back a bottle of water, and he carefully sat Alec up without his permission. Alec groaned at the movement, but he didn't struggle against him. "We're about halfway to Bobby's," Dean said. "Try to drink at least a little bit, ok?"

Alec nodded and took a few sips when he held the bottle to his lips, but then turned his head away. "What happened?" Alec asked after a moment. "Feels like I got run o-over by a truck…" He frowned after a moment and asked, "Did I h-have a seizure?"

"Yeah Alec, you had a lot of seizures," Dean said, carefully lowing him back down. "And we got hit by a car, which is why your leg's messed up and why Baby is drivin' kind of funny…"

"Why do I h-have a fever?" Alec asked.

"I don't know, Alec," Dean said. "You've had a rough few days…I think your body's just outta gas…"

"Why am I blindfolded?" Alec asked.

He and Sam shared another look in the rearview mirror; Alec's memory was scaring both of them, but there was nothing they could do. "Well, your fever's makin' you see things that aren't there," Dean explained.

"Oh…" Alec breathed. His muscles relaxed after a moment, and then he was out again.

"Dean-"

"I don't know, Sam," Dean cut off. "Call Bobby and tell him we need some help once we get there. Tell him to call in every favor he can..."

* * *

 _More soon..._


	13. Chapter 13

"C'mon kiddo," Dean whispered as he carefully lifted Alec up and got him out of the car. After nonstop muttering, and then whimpers and cries of pain, this was so much worse. Alec was comatose; he hadn't moved or said anything for a few hours, and it looked like he wouldn't be any time soon.

"Bobby's got the bath going," Sam said. "We'll put him in and see if that'll help. Something's gotta help…"

"Do you know if he got a doctor here?" Dean asked, carrying Alec towards the front door.

"Bobby said he's on his way," Sam said. He held the door open for him, and he carefully got Alec inside. "Henriksen, grab one of our bags from the trunk," Sam said, tossing the man the keys to the Impala. He didn't see if Henriksen caught the keys or not, but he didn't care.

He quickly took Alec upstairs and found Bobby pouring ice into the tub. He didn't waste any time before he walked over and lowered Alec into the freezing water. He sat on the edge of the tub and held Alec's head up, out of the water.

"How long since he woke up last?" Bobby asked.

"It's been about four hours," Dean said, scooping up some water and getting Alec's hair wet. He had to get his fever down, and then they could get him set up on an IV and maybe get some medicine in him. "He was muttering nonstop before he just went quiet and stopped talking completely and didn't move. And he couldn't remember things before that…"

"A friend of mine's comin'," Bobby said. "Maybe he'll know what's goin' on."

"I thought maybe his leg was infected, but I've looked and I can't find any sign of it," Dean said, scooping up more water and pouring it over Alec's head.

"With what he's been through, we're lucky he's still breathin'," Bobby said.

He involuntarily flinched; his little brother hadn't been breathing not too long ago. The sight of Alec lying lifeless on the table would never leave him. He shouldn't know what it felt like to breathe for his brother, to be the only thing keeping his brother alive, but this was the second time he'd had to do that and he wasn't sure Alec could bounce back from this one.

"Bobby…did you get a hospital bed?" Sam asked as he walked back into the bathroom, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"You said call in every favor I could _and_ you said he wouldn't be able to walk for a while," Bobby said like it was obvious. "Obviously he can't stay up here like you guys do, so I got him a bed for downstairs."

"Bobby, you're awesome," Dean said.

"Yeah, well, just don't go askin' for any more favors any time soon…" Bobby grumbled.

"How long should we keep him in there?" Sam asked, looking at Alec.

"A few more minutes probably…" Dean guessed. "His fever was up pretty high."

"Dean, what could be causing this?" Sam asked. "His seizures were mostly done by the time he really started to go downhill and blood loss should've brought his temperature down, not up…"

Dean sat there for a second before it hit him. "Blood loss…" he whispered.

"What?" Sam asked back.

"He lost a lot of blood so we gave him more!" Dean said. It finally made sense. Alec had said something was wrong in the clinic and he'd wrapped his arms around himself like it was his ribs, but he'd had broken ribs before and he'd never had pain like that. And he'd told them before that he couldn't have ordinary blood because it gave him bad side effects, so maybe these were the side effects even though last time he'd just been in some pain and had taken a while to heal.

"But we gave him your blood," Sam said. "Last time we gave him your blood and it just slowed his healing."

"Think about it," Dean said. "Last time we tricked his body into thinking my blood was close enough to his blood. His body was ready for it this time and it adapted. Now it's causing him to forget things, giving him the fever, making him relive things in Manticore. It all makes sense!"

"And now his body's shut down," Sam said, slowly nodding his agreement. "Either saving his energy…or he's lost all his energy from fighting off the blood and he had to shut down…"

"But how do we fix this?" Dean asked. "How do we wake him up…or undo giving him blood…"

"I don't think we can," Sam said. "We just gotta trust he can get himself back…"

He sighed, but nodded, "Yeah, you're right."

"Boys, I think it's time to get him out," Bobby said. "His fingers are turnin' blue."

He pulled the plug and let the water drain around Alec while Sam got a couple towels. He carefully got Alec's wet clothes off of him, and then dried him off when Sam handed him the towels. "Sam, I need some dry clothes," Dean said.

"Already ahead of you," Sam said with a smile, holding out Alec's sweatpants, a t-shirt, his boxer-briefs, and Sam's own hoodie.

Dean smiled and got Alec dressed before he picked him up again and carried him downstairs. "Jeez Bobby, you weren't kidding about those favors…" Dean muttered when he saw Bobby's transformed living room. It was more like a cozy hospital room now; there was a hospital bed next to the sofa, facing the TV, a heart monitor, oxygen tank, IV station, gauze, blankets, pillows, the list went on and on. It was an impressive amount of stuff.

"I didn't exactly know what he'd need," Bobby muttered. "Figured you boys could decide what you wanted to use once you got here…"

"Thanks Bobby," Dean said, carefully putting Alec on the bed. He propped his leg up with a couple pillows, and then let Sam cover him with some blankets. They got him on an IV, hooked him up to the heart monitor, put on the nasal cannula and turned on the oxygen, and then gave him another injection of morphine. "I'll take first watch, you get some sleep."

"Dean-"

"Don't even bother, Sammy," Dean cut off.

"Both of you get some sleep," Bobby said before they could really start arguing. "I'll watch him and we'll know if anythin' happens thanks to the heart monitor."

"Help me scoot him over," Dean finally said. Sam looked like he wanted to argue so he said, "If he wakes up, he won't know where he is and he won't be able to move to get one of us. It makes sense, ok?"

"Ok," Sam agreed.

"What do you need me to do?" Henriksen asked from the doorway.

"Who the Hell is this?" Bobby grumbled.

"Um, that's Agent Henriksen…" Sam muttered as he helped him move Alec over. "Henriksen, that's Bobby."

"You gotta be kidding me," Bobby mumbled under his breath.

* * *

"Mills," Bobby greeted, letting his friend in. Nathan Mills was a little older than he was, with short gray hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He had been a doctor in the military for most of his life, but had been retired for some time. They were technically neighbors even though they lived ½ a mile away from each other. He just hoped Nathan would be able to help Alec.

"Singer," Nathan replied. He looked around the dingy entrance before he asked, "Where's the kid?"

Bobby nodded towards the living room and led the way, "His brothers are asleep right now, but keep an eye out. Alec's the youngest, so they're pretty protective."

Nathan nodded as he walked around to Alec's side. Sam and Dean were both asleep now; Sam was passed out on the sofa and Dean was sleeping next to Alec. He just hoped they would stay asleep while Nathan was here.

Nathan carefully checked Alec over, writing down something in a notebook every so often, before he asked, "What happened to him?"

"Car accident," Bobby replied. "Some metal broke off in his leg and he lost a lot of blood. Kid gets seizures too, which didn't help anything."

Nathan looked at him like he didn't believe him, and then muttered, "I guess a car accident caused the bite marks too…"

Bobby adjusted his hat, "That's one of those things you told me to never talk about…"

Nathan nodded, but asked, "Is that why he's not in a hospital? Or are they in trouble with the law?"

"More complicated than that," Bobby said.

Nathan sat down in the chair next to Alec, still writing in his notebook. "I've got time…"

"It's not a long story," Bobby said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. "Just not my story to tell."

Nathan looked up and gave him a hard look, "I don't care that he's a transgenic, Bobby. I just need to know everything about my patient before I treat him."

"How'd you know?" Bobby asked casually. Nathan was a smart man; he wasn't surprised that he'd figured it out, he just wanted to know how he did it.

"Any normal kid with a temperature that high would be dead," Nathan said.

"You ok treatin' him?" Bobby asked.

"I'm a doctor and he's my patient," Nathan said. "I'll need a little more information about transgenics, but that's just so I can treat him properly."

Bobby adjusted his hat again and nodded, "Alright, well, you better write this down."

* * *

"Who the Hell are you?" Dean grumbled, spotting someone he didn't know by his little brother. He should've woken up sooner, but he was exhausted.

"Nathan Mills," the man answered without taking his eyes off of Alec's heart monitor.

"What're you doing?" Dean asked suspiciously.

"I'm writing down his stats so I can keep track of them," Mills said. "His heartrate is slowly dropping down to a normal rate…"

"Really?" Dean asked hopefully.

Mills nodded, "And his fever's back down to 105."

"What?" He put his hand against Alec's forehead and found that his little brother did feel cooler. "How'd you do it?"

"It might not be anything I did," Mills said. "But I gave him some antibiotics and put some ice packs in some uncomfortable places…"

He cleared his throat, and then said, "My name's Dean."

"I know," Mills said. "Singer told me."

"Where is Bobby?" Dean asked.

"He and Henriksen went to get some things from my house," Mills said, sitting down in the chair next to Alec's bed.

"What kind of things?" Dean asked.

"An ultra sound and a portable x-ray," Mills said, writing in a notebook. "He has some broken ribs that I need to check on and I want to make sure nothing was left behind in his leg."

"He had an x-ray of his leg," Dean said. "He's got a few hairline fractures…"

"I'm just going to double check, and this way I'll have the film and will be able to track how he's healing," Mills said.

He nodded, but then focused on Alec. He thought he looked a little better, but that could just be wishful thinking. "Has he…um…has he said anything?" Dean asked, fluffing Alec's pillow.

Mills looked up from his notebook and frowned at him. "He hasn't woken up since I got here, and Singer told me he's been unconscious for a while before that."

"He was hallucinating before he passed out," Dean said. "I was just makin' sure he hadn't hallucinated anymore…"

Mills shook his head no, "He's been quiet. Slowly improving, but quiet."

"If he keeps going like this…do you have stuff…" He trailed off; he didn't know how to ask this because he didn't want to think about it. But Alec might not wake up for a while still, and he needed to be prepared just in case. "If he doesn't wake up for a while, do have the equipment to keep him going?"

"Are you asking about a catheter and a feeding tube?" Mills asked.

Dean rubbed the back of his neck like he'd seen Alec do a hundred times, and nodded. "I'm hoping he's gonna wake up soon, but I don't know…"

"If it comes to it, then I can help," Mills said.

* * *

He felt terrible; his ribs were throbbing, pain was shooting through him, his muscles felt like they had melted into a puddle, his head hurt, and his leg felt like it was on fire. He could barely breathe, but a tickle of air in his nose seemed to help him a little bit.

"His fever's down to 104. What did you say his temperature normally was?" Someone was here he didn't know. He felt his heart jump in panic, and then he heard it too. He nearly groaned knowing he was on a heart monitor, but he didn't have any energy.

It was quiet for a moment, but then Dean answered, "Usually 101 or 102." He felt a lot better knowing his brother was with him. He didn't think Dean would leave him, but he'd been pretty out of it for a while.

"Dean, did you hear that?" Sam asked before the other man could say anything.

"Yeah…I thought he was gonna wake up for a minute, but I kinda thought I imagined it," Dean said. His bed shifted suddenly and he felt someone run their hand through his hair. "Alec, can you hear me kiddo?"

"Yeah…" he barely breathed out.

"Alec?!" Sam and Dean asked at the same time. His bed shifted again, and he knew Sam was suddenly next to him too.

"Alec, can you open your eyes for us kiddo?" Dean asked softly.

That was harder to do, but he knew his brothers were freaked out. Somehow they'd gotten a heart monitor and had switched out the oxygen mask for a nasal cannula. He forced his eyes open to see Sam and Dean both smiling at him with goofy grins on their faces.

"Hey kiddo," Dean said.

"Hey…" He felt himself start to fade again, but he forced himself to wake up again.

"You ok to do a quick check?" Dean asked. He barely nodded, but Dean must've understood because he asked, "You know who I am, right?"

He frowned, "Yeah…"

"What about where we were?" Sam asked. "Do you remember where we were when we fixed up your leg?"

He nodded, but he was a little uncertain since everything felt like a dream. "The animal clinic?"

Sam and Dean breathed out in relief and gave him reassuring smiles. "Yeah," Dean said. "We were at the animal clinic. I thought we should quit neglecting your cat DNA for once."

He huffed, "That's what I said…"

"How're you feeling?" Sam asked.

"Not so great…" Alec admitted.

"How 'bout we get you something to drink, and then you can go back to sleep," Dean suggested.

He nodded his ok, but actually looked around once Dean left. It looked like Bobby's house, but he couldn't figure out where all this equipment came from that he was hooked to. "Are we at Bobby's?"

"Yeah, we're at Bobby's," Sam said, giving him a small smile.

"Where'd all this stuff come from?" Alec asked; his voice was getting weaker, so he knew he wouldn't be able to stay awake for much longer.

"Bobby called in every favor he could for us," Sam said.

"Yeah, so you better use it," Dean teased as he walked back in carrying a glass of milk. "You will be staying in that bed and you will be using the oxygen and heart monitor until Mills says you don't need them anymore."

"Dean, Mills might not stick around that long…" Sam said.

"Who's Mills?" Alec asked.

"He said he'd stick around, and I'm sure he can check on Alec every couple days if he needs to," Dean argued with Sam.

"He probably has a life besides making house calls," Sam pointed out.

"Who's Mills?" Alec asked again, but Sam and Dean just kept arguing.

"I'm Mills," a man suddenly said beside him. He was an older man, maybe a little older than Bobby, with short gray hair and a short gray beard. "I was a doctor in the army back in the day and I live down the road from Singer. And I will be sticking around to keep an eye on you if that's ok?"

He smiled a little, "Yeah, I think that'll make them happy."

He started to close his eyes, but someone gently shook his shoulder. "Alec, try to drink somethin' before you go to sleep, ok?" Dean softly urged.

He nodded, and then tried to reach for the glass, but found that he couldn't move his arm. He hoped he just felt weak and could maybe try again. He focused on his hand, but he still couldn't move. He tried to remain calm as he said, "I can't move…"

"Like your muscles hurt and you can't move, or you literally can't move?" Dean asked.

"I literally can't move," Alec said. Sam and Dean both looked to Mills for an explanation, but he thought he might already know. "Dean…I don't think the blood is working this time."

Dean sat down next to him and touched his arm, "Could you feel that?"

He nodded, "Yeah, but this has happened to me before." Dean raised his eyebrows, silently asking him to tell him. "At Manticore when they tested ordinary blood on me, I had really bad side effects."

"Yeah," Dean nodded, "You've told us that before."

"This is one of the side effects," Alec said. "Last time I just had really high pain levels, but the first time I had high pain levels, hallucinations, a high fever, I lost my vision for a while, I was temporarily paralyzed, and I guess I went into a coma for a while too…"

"It was all temporary though, right? You're not secretly blind and somehow keeping it from us, are you?" Dean asked.

"If I was blind, I think you'd know," Alec deadpanned.

Dean chuckled, "I don't know…you keep tellin' me you're an expensive super-soldier with super-powered abilities…"

He laughed and shook his head no, "Even I couldn't pull that off."

"Seriously though, I wanna make sure you're ok," Dean said. "It's my fault you're hurtin' like this, and I wanna make it better."

"It's not your fault," Alec immediately argued.

"Alec, this is my blood that's causing this," Dean said. "How can it not be my fault?"

"I'd be dead right now if it weren't for you," Alec said, his voice hitching without his permission.

Dean ran his hand through his hair and soothed, "Hey, it's ok. You're gonna be ok."

He nodded, but then asked, "Can I go back to sleep now?" He sounded pitiful, but he didn't care. He was tired and his pain was starting to spike again.

"Just drink a little bit, ok? And then you can sleep," Dean said, carefully lifting his head up and holding the glass to his lips. He drank a little bit, but his stomach didn't feel great so he didn't drink much. "Alright, you can go to sleep again."

He nodded again, and he was asleep almost instantly.

* * *

If possible, he felt worse the next time he woke up. He was covered in a cold sweat and he was shaking, but this time it wasn't because of his seizures. His heart monitor was going crazy, and he wanted to be embarrassed, but the only thing he could focus on was not throwing up. The only positive was that he could sort of move again. He could just barely move his arms, but it was an improvement.

"His fever's back," Dean said to Mills as he walked in. Sam ran in behind Mills; he was the one who had ran to get the doctor in the first place when he had woken up again. Bobby and Henriksen trailed in behind them, making him feel even worse. It was ok to be this pathetic and weak when it was just Sam and Dean, but now he had an entire audience to witness this.

"I'll need some more ice," Mills said. "He's maxed out on the meds I have."

"No ice," Alec groaned, his voice even weaker than he felt. He was freezing, but Dean thought he was burning up.

"Alec, we gotta cool you down again," Dean said, putting his hand on his shoulder to keep him on the bed. Like he could really move that far anyway…

"I'll get the ice," Sam said.

"Make up four bags of ice. They don't have to be very big," Mills said. The man put a stethoscope against his chest and listened. He turned away after a moment, and he didn't have the strength to watch what he was doing.

"Alec, is it your leg again?" Dean asked, sitting next to his hip.

He shook his head no, but then said, "No, but it still hurts…" He had to stop to catch his breath before he could say, "I-I'm freezing and it hurts to breathe and I feel like I'm gonna throw up…"

"Sam! Make five bags," Mills called out, coming over to him again. "Alec, I'm going to switch out the nasal cannula for an oxygen mask so you can get more oxygen, and I'm going to put some ice on you, which is going to be very uncomfortable. But Dean's right, we need to get you cooled down again."

"I-I'm so cold," Alec said, his teeth starting to chatter.

Dean carefully scooted him over on the tiny bed and got in next to him. "Alec, you're burnin' up," Dean whispered.

He leaned against his brother to try to get his body heat. "I-I'm still cold," Alec whispered.

"How 'bout this," Dean suggested. "I'll stay here and we'll get you another blanket, but you gotta keep the ice on you no matter how uncomfortable it is, ok?"

He wanted to argue and find a way out of this, but he couldn't. He didn't have enough strength to argue or to complain. Not even when mills put the ice under his neck, under his arms, on his knee, and even on his stomach. He hated it; he hated every second of it, but he couldn't move enough to get the ice off. He tried to move away when Mills put on the oxygen mask for him, but he couldn't even do that.

He was extremely uncomfortable, and not even having contact with his brother was helping.

"Hey, we'll get ya cooled down, and then we'll get ya more blankets and a space heater, ok?" Dean soothed. "Just hang in there for a little while, and then it'll start to get better."

"I want to go to sleep," Alec whispered.

"Ok, you can sleep," Dean replied, running his hand through his hair.

"No…I want to be knocked out. I don't want to wake up for a while," Alec admitted.

"Alec…" Dean breathed out.

"Please," he begged.

Dean hesitated before he asked Mills, "Can he have anything to make him sleep?"

"Yeah, I'll get him something," Mills said softly.

Dean put his arms around his shoulders and pulled him closer. "Hopefully when you wake up again, you'll feel better," Dean said.

"I'm sorry," Alec whispered.

"Nothin' to be sorry 'bout, kiddo," Dean said.

He felt weak and he was becoming a burden on his brothers. He should be better than this. He was taking the coward way out by having Mills give him something to sleep, but he needed a break and he didn't want Sam and Dean to worry about him for a while.

He watched as Mills injected something into his IV, and a few minutes later he felt sleep tugging at him. "I'll still be here when you wake up, ok?" Dean quietly reassured.

"Ok…" Alec mumbled, closing his eyes and leaning against his brother.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	14. Chapter 14

Sam dozed on the sofa, but he couldn't really fall asleep. He was mainly listening to Alec's heart monitor, and really listening for his heart monitor to speed up, signaling that his little brother was waking up. Every so often his heart monitor would start to speed up, but then it would slow back down again before he could get up.

He knew Dean would help their little brother first since he was still sleeping next to Alec, but Alec was his little brother too, and he wanted to make sure he was ok.

Alec had been asleep for a few hours now, and Mills was actually optimistic since his fever had dropped back down to just 105. He still had a fever, but that was better and they were able to take the ice off of him and give him a couple more blankets. He was still shivering, which to him, seemed more normal. With the amount of blood he had lost, he should be cold.

"S-sam?" Alec whispered suddenly.

He instantly shot up and ran over to his little brother. Dean was still asleep, and Alec his had his head resting on his shoulder and the oxygen mask in his hand, but his little brother was looking over at him. "Hey buddy, do you need something? You want some water? Or I can get some Jell-O…or-"

"I have to go to the bathroom," Alec breathed out miserably.

"Ok…ok," Sam said, running his hand down his face. "Let me find Mills, and maybe he'll know the best way we should do this…"

"Ok…"

He quickly left the room and found Mills, Bobby, and Henriksen all sitting around the kitchen table. They looked up when he came in, and Bobby asked, "Did he wake up again?"

"Yeah, and he has to go to the bathroom," Sam said.

The three men looked at each other after he said that, and he figured they either didn't know what to do, or hadn't thought about Alec needing to go to the bathroom any more than he did.

"Alright, I can put in a tube if you want, or we can break out the wheelchair and take him to the bathroom," Mills finally said. "But if we move him, we'll have to get the brace on his knee. We'll have to get the brace on soon anyway, but his knee is still pretty swollen, so it's going to hurt."

"He's not going to agree to the tube," Sam said. He wished Alec would make things easier on himself, but he knew his little brother too well. Alec probably wouldn't even agree to the wheelchair, but he wasn't going to have a choice on that one. "Do you have a brace here?" He asked, suddenly remembering everything Mills had said.

Mills nodded, "I ran to town while you guys were asleep."

"Wow, um, thank you," Sam said. He didn't even know how to thank any of them; they were doing so much for them and it was more than he could believe.

"I'll grab it and meet you in the living room," Mills said with a nod.

Sam went back to Alec and gave him a small smile as he walked over. "So here's the deal," he started. "Mills is going to get you a brace for your knee, and then we'll get you in a wheelchair and get you to the bathroom, ok?"

"Not ok," Alec argued, sounding more like himself than he had for a while.

"Your other option is to get another tube in you and pee in a bag," Sam said bluntly.

"No," Alec grumbled. He barely nudged Dean, but their older brother was out. Alec had probably tried to wake Dean up first, but couldn't.

But he knew Dean would side with him on this one, and he knew if Dean said he needed to do it, then he would. So, he shook Dean's shoulder until their older brother finally cracked his eyes open. "What?" Dean growled.

"Alec's gotta go to the bathroom, so you need to get up anyway," Sam said.

Dean woke up completely and looked over at Alec, "Sorry kiddo, I should have thought about that sooner."

"It's ok," Alec reassured.

Dean slowly got up, carefully easing Alec back onto the bed as he went. Alec had been lying more on Dean than he had thought. Dean suddenly looked up at him and asked, "How are we gonna do this?"

"Mills is getting him a brace, and then we'll get him in a wheelchair and take him to the bathroom," Sam said. "Or, the other option is the tube."

Dean looked back at Alec, and then chuckled seeing the look on Alec's face. He ruffled his hair and said, "C'mon, I know you don't want the tube."

"I don't want the wheelchair either," Alec said. "Just help me up and I swear I won't put any pressure on my leg."

"Alec-" Sam started, but Alec cut him off.

"We walked all over that apartment place," he said angrily. "And that was with the metal still in my leg."

"How 'bout this," Dean said before he could keep arguing with their little brother. "We get that brace on your leg, and then I'll help you up. If you can make it without passing out, then fine, we won't use the wheelchair. But if you do pass out, or even start to pass out, then that's it. You get the wheelchair until we all agree to upgrade you to the crutches."

"Fine."

"I'm going to have to advise against that," Mills said as he walked back in. "If he passes out and falls he could further injure his knee."

"I'm not gonna let him fall," Dean grumbled.

Sam looked to Mills and nodded, "Trust us, this is the best way to do this." If Alec passed out, then he wouldn't fight with them any more about the wheelchair. If he didn't pass out, then that would be a win for everyone, and would actually really help Alec with recovery.

"Alright, but you have to be careful. Anything goes wrong, and that hairline fracture could become a lot worse," Mills warned. He uncovered Alec's right leg, which was propped up with two pillows and still looked pretty swollen. But that could be because it was still wrapped in gauze. "How bad do you have to go?" Mills asked after a moment.

"You wanting to check my stitches?" Alec asked back.

"Yes, it'll be easier this way," Mills said.

Alec nodded, "I can wait."

"I'll be quick," Mills promised. He unwrapped Alec's leg, and Sam saw his leg was black and blue with bruises. It looked painful, but he knew better than to suggest more ice. Alec was more coherent now, and in a more argumentative mood. Even Dean had some push back from Alec. "Alright, your stitches look good," Mills muttered, running his finger over them. "Your swelling hasn't really gone down though…"

"No ice," Alec said. "I'm done with ice."

Mills ignored him, and instead wrapped his leg again. He grabbed the brace and carefully put it on Alec's leg, but he didn't tighten the straps yet. "This is going to hurt, but I have to get it pretty tight to keep your bones from shifting. We should've gotten the brace on you before the swelling, but it's too late now."

Alec nodded and clenched his jaw, getting ready for the pain. Dean put his hand on Alec's shoulder and he reached to grab Alec's hand on his other side. Alec leaned against him and took slow, shallow breaths. "Hey, let's put the oxygen mask back on for a few minutes, ok?" Sam asked, reaching for the mask that was resting next to Alec's hand. Alec let him grab it and hold it over his nose and mouth.

Alec stiffened and his hand grabbed his to fight against the pain. "Hey, it's ok," Dean whispered when Alec let out a small sound of pain. "Just breathe, ok?"

"I'm almost done, Alec," Mills reassured.

Alec whimpered and tried to scoot away, but he just didn't have the strength to get very far. Dean ran his hand through his hair, and then tried to distract him, "So, you think after your bathroom break you'll be up for a milkshake?"

Alec cracked a smile, "I-I might go for that."

"Good, 'cause I think it's time for some more tryptophan too," Dean said.

"That wasn't a seizure," Alec pointed out.

"I know, I just…I don't want you to have seizures ever again, ok?" Dean asked. Sam looked over at his older brother; Dean was blaming himself for what happened to Alec. He thought it was his fault that Alec was rejecting the blood and was hurting because of it, he thought it was his fault that he hadn't seen the car that had hit them, and he thought it was his fault that he hadn't had any pills for Alec when he needed them. Dean couldn't control any of that, but he still took this as his own failings.

He was going to have to talk to his brother, or even find a way to get Alec to talk to him. Maybe they could gang up on him, get him to see some reason.

"Ok, that's it," Mills said.

"I need a minute," Alec breathed out. He'd lost all his color again, so his freckles were standing out on his skin. His heart monitor was going crazy too, which reminded him that he needed to disconnect Alec from the heart monitor. He moved Alec's t-shirt and disconnected the wires from the electrodes while Alec was still out of it.

"Alec, how 'bout we just use the wheelchair this time, ok? That'll be a little easier on you," Dean whispered.

"I'm alright…I just…I gotta pull myself together," Alec said, but his voice was still weak.

"Hey, you don't have to pull yourself together, ok? You know us," Dean said softly. "You know you don't have to be ok all the time."

"I know…"

"Alright, so you wanna try the wheelchair?" Dean asked.

"No."

"Alec," Dean sighed in exasperation.

Alec opened his eyes again and tried to reassure, "I'm alright, I swear."

Dean took a deep breath, but then nodded, "Ok, you wanna try sitting up?"

Alec thought about it for a second before he nodded his ok. He carefully took off the oxygen mask for Alec, and then Dean helped him sit up a little more, but he groaned at the movement. "This sucks…" Alec breathed out, wrapping his arm around his ribs.

"C'mon little brother, you just gotta go a little further," Dean urged. Alec nodded again, so they slowly moved him to the edge of the bed. Dean put Alec's arm over his shoulders and wrapped his arm around his waist. "You ready, kiddo?" Dean asked softly.

"Yeah…" Alec breathed out. "Dean…"

"Yeah?"

"Even if I do pass out…just give me a minute, ok? Please?" Alec quietly begged.

"Ok Alec," Dean reassured.

"We won't let you fall," Sam said, carefully putting Alec's other arm over his shoulders. He grabbed his IV bag too since they weren't planning on taking him off of fluids.

"Ok, on three," Dean said. "One, two, three." Alec gasped in pain when they got him up, and then went limp between them. "Dammit…"

Mills quickly came over and checked his pulse and listened to his breathing before he said, "He just passed out." They already knew that, but he felt better hearing Mills say it.

"Should we get him back in bed or get the wheelchair?" Sam asked.

"No, give him a minute," Dean said, reaching over and tapping Alec's cheek. "He feels like he has to do this, so we gotta let him."

"Dean, he's already pushing himself too far," Sam said. "This isn't going to help him."

"Neither will forcing him to use a wheelchair if he doesn't want to," Dean argued.

"He's starting to come around," Mills warned.

"Hey kiddo, can you hear me?" Dean gently asked. Alec barely nodded and slowly opened his eyes again. He looked around, and then barely smiled when he saw he was still standing. Dean chuckled and messed up Alec's hair, "You act like we never listen to you."

Alec shrugged, "I don't know…when I'm hurt it's usually whatever you say goes."

"Yeah that's true," Dean said. "But I think you can do this."

Alec smiled, looking even more like himself. "You think I can do this?" Alec asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I think you can do this," Dean said with a wide smile.

It was almost easy after that. They made it to the bathroom and back, and Alec stayed conscious the entire time. He did look relieved when they got him back into bed, but he also looked happier than he had for a long time and almost like a weight had been lifted. They got him back on the heart monitor, and he hung up the IV bag while Alec slowly recovered from his trip.

"Alec, let's get you back on some oxygen too," Dean said, grabbing the oxygen mask.

"Can't we do the other one?" Alec asked pitifully.

Dean chuckled, and then said, "Yeah, we can use the other one instead."

Sam grabbed the nasal cannula and switched out the mask for that before he handed it to Dean. He propped up Alec's leg again while Dean got the nasal cannula back on him. Alec grumbled and tried to bat Dean's hands away, but Dean wouldn't let him.

"Fine, if you're gonna baby me, don't forget the blankets," Alec grumbled, leaning back against his pillows. He and Dean both laughed as they pulled the blankets up to Alec's waist.

"I made some soup if you want some," Bobby said, walking in with a bowl in his hand.

"Alec, Bobby's soup is awesome," Dean said. "It's not like normal soup."

"Ok, I'll try some," Alec said.

Dean pushed a button on Alec's bed to raise up the top half so Alec could eat the soup without choking or spilling it everywhere. "I'll make ya a milkshake too," Dean said, ruffling Alec's hair before he left the room.

"I don't know if I can eat a milkshake and soup…" Alec mumbled once Dean was gone.

"That's ok, you don't have to eat it all," Sam reassured. "Just eat what you can."

Alec nodded and slowly ate his soup. He actually ate a lot more than he thought he would, especially since he didn't even like soup. And since Dean was the one who made him the milkshake, he drank most of that too.

* * *

He gasped when a sharp pain shot through him. He'd had a small break, but now the pain was back. He felt someone's hand on his shoulder, giving him some comfort as he tried to fight back the pain.

"Easy Alec," Dean soothed. "Just try to breathe."

"Hurts to breathe," Alec slurred. He couldn't quite get his eyes open, but he knew Dean wouldn't leave him until he could pull himself back together.

"I know…I'm gonna move you up a bit, ok? Maybe that'll help," Dean said. The top half of his bed slowly moved up, and Dean propped his head up with another pillow. "Is that any better?" He nodded and managed to get his eyes open. "Hey kiddo," Dean said with a smile.

"Hey…" He couldn't quite manage a smile, but he felt pretty good to even still have his eyes open.

"Do you want me to get some water for you?" Dean asked, running his hand through his hair. "Or we still have some morphine if you want it."

"I'm alright," Alec tried to reassure.

"You want me to sit by you again?" Dean asked gently. He felt pathetic needing the contact, but he nodded. Dean ruffled his hair and smiled again as he scooted him over and got onto the bed next to him.

He leaned against his brother and just tried to soak up as much comfort as he could. This was what he'd been missing at Manticore. He'd been hurt multiple times at Manticore, but he'd always had to suck it up and force himself to keep going. And when he couldn't, they would send him to psy-ops until there was almost nothing left.

"Hey, you ok?" Dean asked, shaking his shoulder slightly. He must have zoned out for a while thinking about the past.

"Yeah, I'm alright," he automatically replied. Dean gave him a look, and he knew his brother didn't believe him. He'd used that line too much on Dean, and his brother would always know if he wasn't alright. "It's just…I've never had this. I never had brothers who looked out for me when I was hurt, or anyone really. I'm kinda getting used to it…"

"Good, 'cause we're not goin' anywhere," Dean said. He had to clench his jaw against another wave of pain, and Dean rubbed his shoulder to try to help him. "I'm sorry, Alec," Dean whispered miserably.

"It's not your fault," Alec said, slightly breathless.

"Alec, this is my fault," Dean argued. "It's my blood that's causing this. If I hadn't given you anything, you'd already be feelin' a little better."

"No, I'd be dead," Alec said bluntly.

"Alec-"

"I would be," Alec cut off. He didn't want to tell Dean this, he hadn't been planning on it, but he needed his brother to understand that he saved him. "I could feel it…I knew I was going to die and I didn't have enough strength to fight to come back. It's cold…dying…it kinda feels like hypothermia, like when you're so cold that you don't even feel it anymore. I couldn't feel the pain anymore and it was almost easier to just let go." Dean sat frozen beside him, listening to his every word. He knew he should probably stop, but he couldn't now. "It hurt…It hurt really bad to come back. And I started to regret not just going when I had the chance. All the pain came back, and then some. I wished I was dead for a few seconds…"

"Alec…" Dean breathed out.

But he wasn't done yet, "But then I finally felt warm again. You and Sam were there, and I knew even though it hurt and I was weak, you guys wouldn't leave me. And I wanted to stick around because believe it or not, I like having two brothers to look out for me and to give me crap all the time. I knew I needed blood to keep going, and even though I knew it was going to hurt like Hell I was gonna do it because I wanted to stay alive. So even though this sucks and it hurts, it's ok because I want to be alive and I'm only alive right now because of you. So cut the crap. This isn't your fault and I don't want to hear it anymore." Dean didn't say anything, so he thought he went too far. "Besides, I'm hurt so you have to listen to me, right?" Alec asked, to try to lighten the mood.

Dean chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, that's right…"

"I guess that might've been too much sharing…" Alec said hesitantly.

"No, it wasn't too much," Dean said. "Just haven't heard ya be that honest for a while. You usually like to joke around and avoid talking about that kind of stuff…"

"I'll talk about it if it gets you to stop blaming yourself for somethin' that's not your fault," Alec said.

Dean ruffled his hair, and then said, "I still feel bad that you're hurting."

"But you don't think it's your fault, right?" Alec asked to make sure.

Dean was quiet for a minute, but then said, "No, I don't think it's my fault."

He scooted a little closer to his big brother; it wasn't exactly snuggling since he wouldn't do that, but it was pretty close. "Don't go anywhere, ok?" Alec asked. He was starting to feel sleep tug at him again, but he wanted to make sure he'd still have the contact with his brother when he woke up again.

"I'm not goin' anywhere, Alec," Dean reassured.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	15. Chapter 15

_Thank you so much to Eboni, MaraDixen413, and Sylwinka1991 for reviewing every chapter. You guys are the reason this story's still going, so thank you for always letting me know that you're still reading. This story is for you!_

* * *

"I'll be back tonight, Bobby," Mills said, keeping his voice soft so that the boys wouldn't hear him. "He's startin' to do a little better, and Cynthia's daughter just went into labor and she wants me to deliver the baby."

"He should be alright until you get back," Bobby said. He was still worried about Alec, but he thought he and Sam and Dean could handle whatever the kid threw at them until Mills got back.

"Just try to limit his movement," Mills said in exasperation. "His brothers are great with him, except when it comes to saying no. He shouldn't be on his feet at all, and I thought his brothers agreed until he just asked them to change their minds and they did. Them giving him whatever he wants isn't going to help him."

"I know…" Bobby muttered. He knew Alec had Sam and Dean wrapped around his finger, which was why he asked Mills to come in the first place. He knew they wouldn't be able to say no to their little brother so he shouldn't be surprised that it was already a problem. "I'll talk to 'em."

Mills nodded, and then said, "I'll have someone stop by if I'm going to be later than 5 just to check on him. And keep giving him fluids and I left another dose of morphine if he needs it."

"We'll be fine," Bobby reassured. "This ain't my first rodeo, you know…"

"I know…the kid just draws you in," Mills said. "And I want to make sure he's going to be ok while I'm gone. I wouldn't leave at all if I hadn't already told Cynthia a few months ago that I'd deliver her daughter's baby…"

"He'll be alright," Bobby said. "If somethin' major happens, I'll call you."

Mills nodded again before he walked out the door. He slowly walked back to the living room where his boys were sleeping. Sam and Dean actually had rooms they usually stayed in, but they hadn't even gone upstairs except when they had gotten Alec into the ice bath. Dean was asleep in Alec's bed, and Alec was lying more on Dean than he was the bed. Sam had moved the recliner to be closer to Alec and had his feet propped up on the bed. Those two were extremely worried about their little brother, and that worry wasn't going to go away any time soon.

"Where's Mills going?" Henriksen asked from the doorway.

"He's gotta deliver a baby," Bobby said. "The boys will be ok until he gets back."

Henriksen nodded, but then looked towards Sam, Dean, and Alec. "I was so sure they were monsters…I was ready to lock them up for the rest of their lives without a second thought." He shook his head and thought for a minute before he continued, "The worst part is, Dean told me over and over again what was going on and I didn't believe him."

"Well, it does sound a little crazy if yer not raised already knowin' or you've never seen anything like that," Bobby said, trying to give the man a break. Sam had told him what all Henriksen had done for them, and he was still sticking around to make sure Alec was ok. He hadn't known and most people didn't believe them when they told them.

Henriksen nodded again, "I didn't believe them until I saw my agent become one."

"So you want to hunt now? Or you headin' back to the FBI?" Bobby asked.

Alec's heartrate suddenly started to pick up, so he made his way over to the youngest Winchester. He ran his hand soothingly through Alec's hair and waited to see if he would wake up. He settled after a moment though, and relaxed again in sleep.

"He ok?" Henriksen asked.

"Yeah, he's asleep again," Bobby said. "He's either havin' nightmares or the pain's startin' to get to be too much again."

"Should we give him some more morphine?" Henriksen asked.

"No…we've only got a little left, so we gotta save it for when he really needs it," Bobby said. Alec's heartrate suddenly picked up again, and he knew the kid wouldn't just go back to sleep this time. "It's alright, Alec," he whispered, trying to let the kid know he wasn't alone.

"Bobby?" Alec asked in confusion, his voice heavy with sleep.

"Hey kid," Bobby said with a small smile. "You ok?"

Alec shook his head no, which was saying a lot. "My leg's hurting real bad…"

"Ice will help bring down the swelling," Bobby said. Alec started to shake his head no, but he spoke before the kid could argue with him. "I know you don't want it, but it'll help. Would you rather your leg hurt or be cold?"

"Leg hurt," Alec replied stubbornly.

"Too bad, 'cause you're getting the ice," Bobby said. "Henriksen, go get me a bag of ice." He didn't look to see if Henriksen did what he said or not because a second later Alec reached up to take off the nasal cannula. He grabbed Alec's wrist and gently forced his hand back down to the bed. "Don't even think about it."

"I'm doin' better," Alec argued. "I don't think I really need it anymore."

"Mills told me you still need it, so it stays," Bobby said. He slowly released Alec's hand, but the kid immediately reached for his IV instead. He grabbed his wrist again and grumbled, "Ya need that too, ya idgit."

"I'm hydrated and I don't need the antibiotics," Alec said.

"You do until Mills says otherwise," Bobby said.

"Bobby, one of your phones are ringing!" Henriksen called out from the other room.

"Which one?" Bobby asked back without taking his eyes off of Alec.

"Second one on the right," Henriksen said.

"Answer it," Bobby said before he asked Alec, "If I let you go, are you gonna try to take out any more tubes?"

"Bobby, I don't need them anymore," Alec said. "I can breathe on my own now and I don't need all of you hearing every time the morphine starts to wear off. It's embarrassing."

"I don't give a damn how embarrassing it is, you do need it, so it's staying," Bobby growled.

"Bobby, the guy on the phone wants to know how to kill a…" Henriksen stopped for a moment, probably asking whoever it was what they needed help with again. "A Rugaru?"

"Tell him to torch it," Bobby said. He slowly let go of Alec's wrist again, but watched to make sure the kid didn't try anything. "You want somethin' to eat?" He asked after a moment.

"No," Alec replied stubbornly.

Henriksen walked back in and handed him a bag of ice. He moved Alec's blankets out of the way and put the ice on the most swollen part of his knee. "Keep that there, you hear me?" Bobby asked him. He nodded so he turned to Henriksen and said, "You're gonna man the phones. This'll be the best way to teach ya what's out there, and if anyone needs a little help from the FBI, we've got it covered." He hit Dean's shoulder and said, "Wake up. Alec need someone to watch him since he's startin' to be stubborn."

"I don't need anyone to watch me," Alec grumbled.

"What's goin' on?" Dean asked.

"I'm goin' to teach some huntin'. Keep an eye on your brother," Bobby said. "Do not let him remove any wires or tubes, got it? Mills ain't here to supervise, so you gotta stand yer ground with him, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it," Dean muttered.

"No matter what Alec says, you better not budge," Bobby said. "I'll still be around to check on him, but I can't grab his hand every time he reaches to take somethin' off. And he's got ice on his knee again, and that has to stay."

"Alright, alright," Dean grumbled, "I got it. I'm not gonna let him do anything."

"And if he needs to go to the bathroom, use the wheelchair," Bobby said.

"Bobby!" Alec and Dean said at the same time.

"I mean it," Bobby growled. "Mills ain't here to patch him up if anythin' goes wrong."

Dean sat up a little, but immediately stopped when Alec winced in pain. But that didn't stop him from trying to argue his point. "One, we've already made that trip more than once without any problems, so I don't think there'd be a problem if we had to go again. And two, if something did happen, which it wouldn't, I could patch him up."

"Not if he landed on his leg, breaking it," Bobby said, unwilling to drop it.

"Fine," Dean grumbled.

"What?!" Alec exclaimed.

"Just keep him down," Bobby said. "And you," he said, looking at Alec. "Don't give your brother any trouble, got it?"

"Got it…" Alec muttered.

* * *

Dean flipped through the channels as Alec dozed against him. His little brother was actually doing pretty good today; he'd eaten some more soup and he hadn't used the extra dose of morphine Mills had left for him. He still hurt, but he hadn't asked for the morphine yet.

Bobby, Sam, and Henriksen were all in the kitchen talking about hunting since Alec was doing ok, so it was just him and his little brother. He was a little bored since Alec was asleep, but he actually couldn't go back to sleep since he kept having nightmares about his little brother dying. Ever since Alec admitted everything to him, his nightmares had gotten worse. He knew Alec had been close, but he hadn't realized how close.

"Hey, you need a break?" Sam asked, walking in to check on them.

"Nah, I'm alright," Dean answered. He smiled and said, "I just move the bed whenever I get tired of sitting a certain way."

Sam chuckled and nodded before he sat down in the recliner again. "He doin' ok?"

"Yeah, he wakes up every so often, but for the most part he's been asleep," Dean said. "How's hunting lessons?"

"Good. He's picking it up fast, especially since Bobby's got him answering the phones," Sam said.

"Is he stickin' around or going back to the FBI?" Dean asked.

"Both. He's going to learn what he can for a few days before he goes back to work," Sam said. "He's going to keep an eye out for anything weird and cover up what he can for other hunters. And we're dead, so that's good for us…"

"And now we've got an actual FBI agent on our side," Dean said.

Sam nodded, "Yeah, that helps."

"What time is it?" Dean asked after a minute.

"A little after 5…Bobby said either Mills would be back by now or someone would be coming to check on him…" Sam muttered in thought. He stood up again and started for the kitchen, but stopped when there was a knock on the door.

"Speak of the devil," Dean teased.

Sam rolled his eyes and went to the front door instead of the kitchen. He opened the door, but Dean couldn't see who was there. "Hey, um, so I guess Mills…I mean Nathan Mills…I guess he asked you to come over?" Sam more asked than said.

"Yeah, I'm Jody Mills," a woman answered.

"Oh, are you his daughter?" Sam asked in surprise.

"Daughter-in-law," Jody said.

"Nice to meet you," Sam said. "I'm Sam, by the way, Sam Winchester."

"Sam," Jody said, with a smile in her voice. He imagined they were shaking hands, but he still couldn't see anything. "So, where's this brother I'm supposed to check on?"

"He's in here," Sam said, appearing after a moment with a woman behind him. She was wearing a sheriff's uniform with her hair pulled back into a short ponytail. She gave him a small smile as soon as she saw him, and Sam introduced, "That's my older brother, Dean, and Alec's my little brother. He's asleep right now, but he's been doin' pretty good today."

Jody walked over to him and reached out her hand, which he shook. "I'm Jody. I'm Nathan's daughter-in-law."

"Sorry you had to come out here," Dean said. "Kind of a waste of a trip since he doesn't really need anything."

Jody shrugged, "I don't mind. Gives me something to do actually." She looked around the living room before she said, "Didn't know Bobby had…family…"

"Yeah, um-" Sam started, but he was saved by Alec waking up. He groaned and tried to turn against him, but he stopped before he got very far.

"Hey kiddo, you ok?" Dean asked.

"Yeah…just starting to hurt a little more than it was," Alec mumbled. His eyes were still closed, so he didn't see that they had a visitor.

"Someone's here to see you," Dean said, giving him a head's up. "But we've got some morphine still if you want it."

"No, I'm alright," Alec immediately refused. He opened his eyes, but he didn't try to lift his head off of his shoulder. He looked around until his eyes landed on Jody. He tensed since he didn't know her and he was hurt, but he relaxed again after a moment. Either he decided it was ok because he and Sam were both there, or Jody didn't feel like a threat to him.

"Hi, I'm Jody," she said, seeing Alec's gaze on her.

"Alec," his little brother replied.

"Nice to meet you, Alec," Jody said with a smile.

"Do you need some water?" Dean asked, knowing Alec was probably thirsty. He nodded, so Sam quickly ran to the kitchen. He came back a moment later with a cup of water in his hand, and Bobby coming in behind him.

"Sheriff," Bobby greeted.

"Hey Bobby," Jody replied. "Didn't know you had any kids."

"You never asked," Bobby said with a shrug. Dean smiled; it felt good that Bobby considered them his kids. Bobby was a father figure to him and Sam, and he knew Bobby always thought of them as his kids too, but it was nice having it confirmed.

Jody nodded, and then asked, "So, what do you need me to do? Go get take out? Cook something? Get some snacks? I don't know, you name it and I'll get it."

Bobby shrugged again, "We've got pretty much everything…I don't know, you boys want anything?"

"Pie?" Dean asked. "And Alec could use another milkshake probably…"

"And he could use some movies," Sam added. "We've already burned through Bobby's collection."

"Ok, so, pie, milkshake, and movies," Jody said with a nod. "Anything else?"

"Popsicles," Alec whispered.

"And popsicles," Dean repeated.

Jody smiled at Alec again and said, "Ok, I'm on it."

She nodded to Bobby and patted Sam's arm before she walked back out the door. Alec groaned as soon as Jody left and tried to get more comfortable against him. "You want me to move, kiddo?" Dean asked softly.

"No…I just…can we scoot back again…it's hurting to breathe," Alec said.

"Sorry Alec, I shouldn't have messed with the bed," Dean said as he adjusted the bed back so they were lying flat again.

"No, it feels good to move around some," Alec said. "It just hurts when I'm in the same spot for too long…"

"Ok, I'll be sure to move around every so often," Dean said, ruffling his little brother's hair.

"Boys, Rufus called…He figured out somethin's up," Bobby said. "I should've screened the calls first because he freaked out when Henriksen answered. Asked him all sorts of questions until he got it outta him that Alec was hurt. Pretty sure he'll be here by tomorrow night and I'm guessin' word's out to everyone else that Alec's hurt. We're 'bout to have a lot of visitors…"

"In that case, we better start thinking about how I'm going to take a shower," Alec mumbled sleepily. "I already look bad enough, I at least want to be clean."

"Sponge bath?" Dean asked teasingly.

"You need to get your ears checked," Alec said. "I said _shower_."

"That's probably not in the cards for you, kiddo," Dean said more seriously. "We can probably set up a bath, but showers are out."

"We'll see," Alec said.

He shook his head no, but decided he'd save his argument until Alec really pushed for a shower. He wouldn't be able to stand by himself and he doubted his little brother was going to let someone hold him up while he got clean.

"How many do you think?" Sam asked Bobby.

"I'm guessin' Rufus, Garth, maybe a few from the Valley, Ellen and Jo…We're gonna have a houseful," Bobby said.

"Bobby, if it's too much for him…" Dean started.

"I'll kick 'em out if it's too much," Bobby said.

"I'll be alright," Alec mumbled.

* * *

"Sorry that took so long," Mills whispered.

Alec was sort of awake now; he could hear what was going on even though he didn't let anyone know he was awake. His brothers were both asleep again and Jody had even fallen asleep too while they were watching one of the movies she had brought back.

He liked Jody. She was nice, and even though she was a sheriff, she didn't ask too many questions. She just kind of hung out with them, and he hoped she would stick around. She was cool too; she brought back about 20 movies for him to watch, some that he'd seen and some that he'd never even heard of. Sam and Dean had seen most of them, but it was fun to hang out for a while. He even forgot for a few minutes that he was pretty badly hurt.

"It's alright," Bobby said. "He did pretty good today. He didn't even use the extra morphine."

"Mind if I check on him?" Mills asked.

"Go right ahead. Everyone's asleep though," Bobby said.

"I see Jody stopped by," Mills said, his voice closer than before. "Wasn't sure if I convinced her or not…"

"Yeah, been here since 'bout 5, just made a quick run for the boys," Bobby said.

His bed dipped suddenly on the side that Dean wasn't on, and his eyes flew open in surprise. The older man gave him a small smile and apologized, "Sorry Alec, I should've given you a head's up that I was here."

"It's ok," Alec replied.

"Can I check you over?" Mills asked. He nodded; he was used to Mills checking him over so it wasn't a big deal anymore. The older man took his temperature and checked his blood pressure, but usually he stopped there. This time though, he moved his blankets and checked his brace and his stitches. Then he checked his ribs and listened to him breathe. It took a while, but in the end it was worth it. "Alright, I think we can take you off the heart monitor now."

"Really?" Alec asked in surprise. That was one thing he really wanted gone since it alerted his brothers every time he woke up. Luckily, this time they were too tired to wake up when he did.

Mills chuckled, "Yeah, your heartbeat is stronger and steadier and your circulation is better too." Mills gently grabbed his hand and said, "Your fingers are warmer and your fingernails aren't blue anymore."

He smiled and looked at his fingers. They weren't blue anymore, so that was a pretty good improvement. His fingers were still shaking slightly since his system wasn't quite back on track yet, but he was slowly getting there. "What about the oxygen?" Alec asked, hoping his luck would hold.

Mills laughed and shook his head no, "You're pushin' your luck, kid."

"Had to ask," Alec said with a smirk.

"That's going to be a no," Mills replied. "Let's take this slow, ok? Baby steps." Alec rolled his eyes, but nodded. It was still pretty awesome that the heart monitor was going. "I'm guessin' your ribs are still hurting, which makes it pretty painful to breathe. Believe it or not, the oxygen is helping you."

"What about the IV?" Alec asked. "Since I'm awake I can stay hydrated without it and I don't exactly need the antibiotics."

"What about when we give you morphine?" Mills asked back.

He shrugged, "I didn't really need it today. Just a couple times it really hurt."

Mills thought for a minute before he suggested, "How about we keep it in tomorrow too, and if you don't need it again tomorrow, then I'll take it out."

That was probably the best he was going to get. "Yeah, alright," Alec replied.

"Don't ever leave again," Bobby muttered to Mills.

Mills looked over at Bobby with a frown and asked, "Why not?"

"Because the kid's a nightmare with everyone else but you!" Bobby said. "We had to watch him all day and grab his hand anytime he tried to take something off."

"But I was right," Alec pointed out. "Mills is taking me off the heart monitor."

"You think you're so smart…" Bobby grumbled.

Alec winced when Mills suddenly pulled off one of the things stuck to his chest, "Ow, that's tender."

"After all this, that's what makes you say 'ow'?" Mills questioned with a small smile.

"Yeah, well, look at that red mark it left," Alec said, looking down at his chest. He was dreading having the rest pulled off, but he was ready for them to be gone.

Mills and Bobby both laughed, making him smile too. It felt good to get other people to laugh and to smile again. It was going to take a long time to recover still, but he felt pretty good today. He knew he wasn't going to have very many good days while he was recovering. It was going to be up and down, and he knew that, but today was a good day.


	16. Chapter 16

_He nearly missed it when Alec stopped breathing. There was blood all over the floor and dripping down from the table. He was covered in Alec's blood too…he didn't know how his little was still alive. He froze when he realized he wasn't alive._

 _"Dean, you gotta save me," Alec said._

 _"What the Hell…"_

 _Alec was dead on the table, but he was also standing in front of him. There were two Alec's._

 _"Don't just stand there. I'm dying, Dean," Alec said. "I can feel it…I don't have much time left."_

 _"What do I do?" Dean asked helplessly._

 _"You have to do CPR and give me blood," Alec said like it was obvious. "Hurry, I don't feel anything anymore…it feels nice…peaceful…"_

 _"Alec, don't give up, ok? I'm starting CPR right now," Dean said, moving to start compressions on the Alec that was on the table. "You can't give up."_

 _"Dean, it's easier this way…" Alec said. "I'm going to be in a lot of pain if I wake up. Hell, I might not be able to walk again."_

 _"You can't give up," Dean said. "That's not who you are. And Mills said your knee looked pretty good all things considered. He thinks once you heal, you will probably be able to walk again."_

 _"It doesn't matter what Mills says," Alec said. "I'm dying right now. It's time to breathe." He breathed for his little brother, and then started compressions again. Alec's rib broke under his hand, and the other Alec grabbed his side in pain. "Dean, I'm sorry, I don't think I want to go through this…"_

 _"Don't you dare give up, you hear me?!" Dean yelled._

 _"It hurts!" Alec said miserably, dropping to his knees. He cried out in pain, but he couldn't go to him because he couldn't stop compressions. "Dean!"_

 _"Don't give up, Alec, please don't give up," Dean begged._

 _"I might not have a choice," Alec said from the floor. "It's my time, Dean. But you and Sam are the best things to ever happen to me. Don't forget that, ok?"_

 _That Alec fell over, and he knew he wasn't breathing anymore. He suddenly couldn't breathe; like the wind was knocked out of him from hitting the floor or something. He could still hear Alec's cries of pain._

"Dean!"

His eyes flew open, finally connecting that Sam was yelling his name. He was on the ground instead of on Alec's bed, which didn't make any sense. He'd been sleeping on Alec's bed…

"Dean, you with me?" Sam asked, patting his chest. He nodded so Sam carefully helped him sit up. His back was killing him. How did he end up on the floor? He was about to ask, but Sam knew what he wanted. "You were having a nightmare…I had to push you off Alec's bed because the movement was hurting him."

"Is he ok?" Dean asked quickly. He looked over and saw that Alec was awake and looking at him from the edge of his bed. "Are you ok? Did I hurt you?"

"I'm ok," Alec reassured.

He ran his hand down his face and tried to shake the nightmare. "Sam, help me up," he said when he couldn't get the image out of his head. As soon as he was standing he went over to Alec and carefully checked him over. "You sure you're ok?" Dean asked. He hated that Mills took his little brother off the heart monitor. He liked knowing for sure that Alec was still with them.

"I'm fine. Dean, what happened?" Alec asked. He started to turn away from Alec's pleading gaze, but his little brother caught his wrist. He couldn't ignore Alec, especially since he was still afraid he was going to lose him.

"Just a bad dream," he finally replied.

"I'm sorry," Alec said guiltily.

He frowned and said, "Alec, this isn't your fault."

"Then what was the dream about?" Alec asked. He didn't answer, which was really an answer in itself. "Its because of what I told you, isn't it?"

"Alec, I…"

"I shouldn't have told you how close it was," Alec said. "I just didn't want you to blame yourself anymore…"

He looked over at Sam; his brother didn't miss the fact that Alec had told him something that he'd missed out on. But Sam didn't want to know this, Hell, he didn't even want to know this. But he needed to pull it together.

"You were dead in the dream, but another you was talking to me," Dean finally admitted. "I couldn't save you…either one of you."

"I'm ok," Alec reassured again.

"I know…" Dean muttered.

"How close was it?" Sam asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Alec looked down and admitted, "I almost didn't come back…" Sam quickly walked forward and sat next to Alec. "I might've gone into a little too much detail when I told Dean that…" He looked up at Sam after a moment, and then said, "But I wanted him to stop blaming himself for this…"

"Don't you start blamin' yourself for me having nightmares, you hear?" Dean asked. "I'll take a sleeping pill or something to keep off any dreams for a while, ok?"

Alec nodded before he leaned back against his pillows again. "That wore me out…Any chance there's a popsicle in my future?"

Dean chuckled and messed up Alec's hair before he walked to the kitchen and grabbed his little brother a popsicle. The three of them looked up when Mills walked into the room.

"Mornin' boys," Mills greeted.

"Mornin'," he replied.

"Alec, how're you feelin' today?" Mills asked.

"So far so good," Alec said.

"If you're trying to hold off the pain because you want the IV out, it's not going to work," Mills said. He listened to Alec's heartbeat and listened to him breathe before he said, "I can tell your pain's coming back. Your heartrate is higher than it was yesterday."

"I don't need the morphine yet," Alec said.

"Just don't refuse it because you're being stubborn," Mills said. Alec actually nodded, which was surprising, but it was also a good sign. If he really was in pain, then maybe he'd actually admit it. "I hear some people might be dropping by today," Mills said after a moment.

"Yeah, there should be a few coming over today," Dean said. "Then maybe more the next few days."

"Is Jody coming back?" Alec asked.

"Yeah, she'll come by again," Mills said. "I might be able to talk her into once a day, but she'll be by at least a couple times a week."

"Ok good," Alec said. "Next item on the agenda is…when can I get cleaned up? I feel disgusting and I would really like to look decent if people are coming over."

Mills nodded, "Sooner or later we were going to have to figure this out."

"He wants to take a shower," Dean said, knowing that was a bad idea.

"Shower's out," Mills said bluntly. "You can't stand, so go ahead and forget that idea."

"Fine, but I'm only going to accept help in and out of the tub," Alec said.

"And getting dressed," Sam added. They both knew Alec too well to leave anything out. The kid could find a loophole in any deal they made if they didn't cover all their bases.

Alec rolled his eyes, "Yeah, and getting dressed."

"You're not staying in the bathroom by yourself either," Dean said.

"Fine."

* * *

He sighed in relief once he was in the warm, soapy water. He didn't even care how embarrassing it was to have his brothers help him get undressed since the water felt so good. He hated being dirty, and even though his brothers had tried to clean him up when they got there, it still wasn't enough.

"Keep it short, Alec," Dean said with an amused smile.

He nodded. He knew he had to keep it short since his ribs were killing him and his leg was throbbing. He even missed the oxygen even though Sam had offered to bring that in there too. But he'd refused saying he could make it for 20 minutes without it.

"And keep your leg out of the water," Sam said, leaning against the sink. "You can't get that brace wet since you decided it would be better to leave it on." He had his right leg resting on the edge of the tub. It wasn't the most comfortable, but it would've been worse getting the brace off and on. It was bad enough when Mills had to take it off to check his stitches. He wanted to avoid that if he could.

"Killjoys, both of you," Alec muttered. Sam and Dean both chuckled and he smiled. "Who's getting here first? And when?"

"Rufus," Dean said. "and tonight I think."

"Then who?" Alec asked, rubbing shampoo in his short hair.

"Jody's coming back over tonight too," Sam said.

"And Bobby's not sure if Ellen and Jo will be next or if it's Garth," Dean said.

"What about Max?" Alec asked, keeping his eyes on the soap. He still didn't know if he wanted Max to come or not, but he didn't really have a choice. He didn't like looking weak, especially in front of her, but that wasn't changing anytime soon.

"Haven't heard yet if a group from the Valley is going to make it," Dean said. "But I'll call her if you want me to."

"No…not yet," Alec said, and then teased, "Don't freak out. I'm going to go under water for a few seconds, ok?"

Dean huffed and shook his head, making him smile. He held his breath and went under water, quickly washing his face and hair since he couldn't hold his breath for very long. He came back up and decided he was about at his limit without having oxygen.

"I think I gotta be done," Alec admitted. It was really hitting him suddenly, and he was afraid he was going to just pass out right there in the tub.

"Alright, can you pull the drain?" Dean asked.

He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. "I don't know…I just ran outta steam…"

"Ok, just take a minute," Dean said. "Sam went to get the oxygen, ok? And Mills is probably going to come in here too."

He felt kind of numb and tingly. He knew he was going to pass out if he didn't get some oxygen soon. "Too much…I pushed too far…" Alec admitted.

"It's ok," Dean reassured. "You were gonna have to get clean at some point."

"Alec, I'm going to put the oxygen mask on you, ok?" Mills asked gently. He nodded, and a second later oxygen was helping him breathe. "Just relax and breathe. I'm going to pull the drain and dry you off." By the time he finally came back around, the water was drained and he was covered in towels. "You back with us?" Mills asked him.

"Yeah…" Alec breathed out.

"Ok, just breathe and we'll do all the work," Mills said. He couldn't argue, so he let Mills dry him off, and then Sam and Dean got him onto the edge of the tub. Mills kept a towel around his waist to give him a sense of privacy, but now it didn't matter. He just wanted to get back in bed and sleep some more.

He passed out again when they got him up to help him get dressed. It was probably better this way since he wasn't aware enough to be embarrassed, and he missed most of the pain. When he was finally aware again, he was on the bed, hooked back up to oxygen, an IV, and unfortunately, the heart monitor.

"He's gonna be pissed we put him back on the heart monitor," Dean said. "He's gonna feel like he's lost ground…"

"Dean, this is how recovery goes. There are good days and bad, and for a while it's going to feel like he's taking one step forward and six steps back. But eventually, he'll start to gain ground," Mills said. "I think he needs to be back on the heart monitor, but I also think you two need him to be on it too."

"What?" Sam asked.

"Bobby told me you two didn't sleep at all as soon as you figured out he wasn't on it anymore," Mills said. "You two feel safer when you know for sure that he's still with you. I've seen it with a lot of families, especially with the ones where it was close. It's going to take time for you both to accept that he's going to be ok."

Now he felt a little bad for asking for everything to be removed. He knew he wasn't quite ready yet, but he should've thought about his brothers a little more. He just thought they thought he wasn't ready yet; he didn't think about the fact that they thought he could die again. That they would feel better if they could hear the fact that he was still alive.

"He's still gonna be pissed," Dean muttered.

"No…it's alright," Alec whispered.

"Alec! Hey kiddo," Dean said in surprise.

"Hey," Alec replied weakly.

Dean ruffled his damp hair and said, "Good news is, you are squeaky clean just like you wanted. Bad news is, we had to get you back on some of the equipment."

"It's alright," Alec said again.

"Alec, did you just wear out from moving too much?" Mills asked.

"Yeah…" Alec breathed.

"Ok, just rest," Mills said. "We'll get you a milkshake to boost your energy and get your blood pressure back up." Mills turned and asked, "Sam, can you get him one?"

"On it," Sam said.

"Is the oxygen helping?" Mills asked.

"Yeah, it's helping," Alec said. He looked down and saw that he was only in sweatpants. He had Sam's zip hoodie on again, but it wasn't zipped. "Can I have a blanket again?"

"Sorry kiddo," Dean said, pulling the blankets up to his chest. "I forgot about you being cold…"

"It's ok…"

"That milkshake isn't going to help warm him up," Dean said to Mills.

"No, but from what you told me, it'll help keep his seizures off," Mills said. "I'll see if Bobby's got a space heater we can put in here to help."

"What else do you need?" Dean asked him.

"That's it…" Alec said. He couldn't help shivering again though, and then wincing at the movement.

"Alright, I'm gonna scoot you over again," Dean said before he took up his spot next to him. He immediately felt a little warmer thanks to Dean's body heat. He almost immediately lost his fight with sleep, so he didn't see if Sam came back with his milkshake or if Mills was able to find a space heater.

* * *

"Hey kid," Rufus greeted as soon as he walked in. Alec tried to smile to the older hunter, but he'd really just woken up again so he was pretty out of it.

"Hey," He managed to breathe out.

"Don't you look pitiful," Rufus teased. "Layin' there with all your pillows and blankets…"

"Still look better than you," Alec replied with a small smirk. He didn't even try to move from his pile of pillows or blankets even though he was a little embarrassed looking so pathetic in front of the older hunter.

"How do ya figure?" Rufus immediately argued.

"I'm young and incredibly good looking and you're just old," Alec said. "Even half dead, I still beat you in the looks department."

"Bobby!" Rufus yelled suddenly. "I can't stay here!"

"Quit yer hollarin'," Bobby grumbled, walking into the room.

"Why? I don't see anyone sleepin'," Rufus pointed out.

He frowned, suddenly realizing his brothers weren't in the room with him. They hadn't left him alone since this whole thing had happened. It didn't feel right without them around.

"Sam just went to the kitchen to get something to eat and Dean's in the shower gettin' cleaned up," Bobby said, seeing his look of confusion, and maybe just a little bit of concern. He didn't want to admit it, but he kind of felt panic when he didn't see his brothers, especially after his episode in the bathroom.

"You made food?" Rufus asked, his face lighting up.

Bobby rolled his eyes and nodded, "It's in the kitchen…"

"You want anythin', kid?" Rufus asked him.

He was just about to say no, but Bobby spoke before he could, "Yes, he does want somethin'. Bring him the bowl of soup I put on the counter." Rufus nodded once before he disappeared into the kitchen.

"Soup? Still?" Alec complained. "Can't we try something just a little more solid?"

"Mills doesn't think you're ready for solids yet," Bobby said, sitting down on the sofa. "And even if you were allowed anything solid, it would be somethin' like toast or grilled cheese…that's about it."

He grumbled a little under his breath, but he felt too worn out to argue for real.

"Bobby!" Rufus suddenly yelled from the other room. Alec chuckled as Bobby rolled his eyes and waited for Rufus to just come back to complain about whatever it was this time. "Bobby, I ain't staying in the same place as the FBI!"

Bobby sighed, but pointed out, "I never said you could stay. I said come visit 'cause the kid needs somethin' to break up the day."

"I ain't payin' money to stay in some rundown motel when you've got plenty of room here," Rufus argued. "Just kick out the Fed and we're good."

"The Fed stays," Bobby said.

"The Fed stays…" Rufus imitated, turning back to go to the kitchen. He came back after a moment, but this time he was holding a bowl of steaming soup in his hand. "Here ya go, kid," Rufus said, much softer than anything he'd said the whole time he'd been there. "Careful, it's hot…Bobby, can't the kid sit up so he doesn't spill it all over himself?"

"Would you back off," Bobby said. "You've been here five minutes and you're already on my last nerve." Bobby pushed the button on his bed and the top half of his bed slowly moved up.

Rufus let out an impressed whistle and said, "Man Bobby, when you pull in the favors, you don't mess around…"

"Yeah, well, some things are worth it," Bobby mumbled under his breath.

He couldn't help his huge smile hearing Bobby say that. He probably wasn't meant to hear that, but he did, and he would never forget it.

"Rufus…I thought you weren't getting here until later," Dean said as he slowly walked into the room. His hair was damp and he had a towel in his hand from the shower he must have just taken. He couldn't believe he felt jealous that his older brother got to take a shower when he was stuck taking baths.

"Lucky for us, he's early," Bobby said sarcastically.

"Yeah…lucky us," Dean agreed.

"I'm feelin' real unwanted 'round here," Rufus grumbled. "Lucky for both of you, I'm just here for the kid." He sat down in the recliner that Sam was usually sitting in, and took a big bite out of his sandwich.

"You doin' ok?" Dean asked, completely forgetting about Rufus for the moment.

"Yeah…just resting and eating more soup," Alec said.

"Good," Dean said with a nod. "Do you want another blanket?"

"No, I'm ok," Alec said.

"Do you need a bathroom trip? Or something else to drink?" Dean asked.

"Dean…" Alec breathed out, hoping his brother would stop. He was at his limit right now with the hovering. He wanted his brothers to be around him, but he just wanted to lay around for a while without anyone asking him if he needed anything.

"Ok, ok," Dean said, catching on to what he wanted. "Do you at least have the remote?"

"Dean," Alec whined.

"Fine, I'm going to the kitchen," Dean said before he walked out of the room.

Now he felt bad; he didn't want Dean to leave, he just wanted the questions to stop. "He'll be back," Bobby reassured, seeing the look in his face. "You put your foot down if you need some space, ya hear?"

He nodded, and then tried to eat some of the soup, but his stomach wasn't feeling great. He just stirred the spoon around in the broth and waited for someone to catch the hint that he was done. Bobby got up, but he didn't grab his bowl for him. Instead, he watched as the older hunter walked to the kitchen. He came back after a moment with Dean right behind him.

His older brother looked like he was itching to ask him if he needed anything, but he remained silent. He stirred his soup a few more times before Dean took the bowl from him. His older brother smiled and ruffled his hair before he took the bowl back to the kitchen.

Dean came back after a moment and sat down next to Bobby on the sofa.

"So, Rufus…go on any good hunts lately?" Alec asked to break the awkward silence.

Rufus chuckled, knowing what he was doing. "You know, there was one hunt…Got stuck in a cabin waitin' out a pack of werewolves with your old pal Mole."

Alec smiled thinking of the two grumps being stuck together. He was surprised they both made it out alive considering their personalities, he thought they would've killed each other.

"Mole is still alive, right?" Dean asked, thinking along the same line he was.

Rufus rolled his eyes and huffed, "Yeah, he's still alive. And it's all thanks to me. I saved his ass on that hunt."

"I heard it a little different," Bobby muttered.

"Well Mole tells it wrong," Rufus grumbled.

Alec smiled and closed his eyes as he listened to the two older hunters argue while Dean threw in barbs every so often. Them arguing and going back and forth was almost comforting because it felt like things were normal. Like he wasn't lying in a hospital bed in the middle of Bobby's living room. Like they were just hanging out and resting before their next hunt. He dozed off hoping things would return to normal eventually.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	17. Chapter 17

"Hey Hon, how ya feelin'?" Ellen asked, kissing the top of his head and patting his cheek before she took a step back.

"Overwhelmed," Alec answered honestly. "But pretty good since I finally got to get outta bed." His brothers and Mills finally decided he could get out of bed as long as he stayed in the recliner and kept the equipment on. He was lying pretty much the same way, leaning back slightly with his knee propped up with pillows. They'd even zipped up Sam's hoodie for him so his bruised chest was covered and all that could be seen was the wires for the heart monitor going over his shoulder. It wasn't so much that they thought he was ready, but that the house was too full right now. They had pushed the bed against the wall so there was more room for everyone else.

"You want me to thin the crowd?" Ellen asked seriously. "Because I will."

"No, I'm alright," Alec said.

Ellen put her hand on his forehead and brushed his hair back. "You're lookin' a little pale and it feels like you've got a fever, are you eating?"

He gave her a small smile and nodded, "Have to with my brothers around. Nonstop soup buffet…yum…"

"I'll make ya something once everything calms down," Ellen promised.

"Hey Ellen," Sam greeted, walking over and giving the older woman a hug.

"Sam," Ellen said with a wide smile.

"It's a mad house in here, huh?" Sam asked.

Ellen nodded in agreement, and then said, her voice soft so maybe he wouldn't hear, "Watch out for your little brother, ok? This could get to be too much very fast, so keep an eye on him."

"Me and Dean are both watching," Sam whispered. "If it gets to be too much we'll take him upstairs."

Ellen patted Sam's arm before moving further into the house. Ellen and Jo had just arrived, but Garth had come earlier with Rocky, Bear, and Mole, Rufus had come in the other day, Jody and Mills were both there, and Bobby, Hendriksen, Sam, and Dean were all in the same house. It was packed, but he was still missing Max. Rocky had tried to reassure him that she was planning on coming, but couldn't because of the amount of work she had to do.

"Hey, you ok?" Sam asked softly, gently shaking his shoulder. He jumped slightly, but quickly nodded. "Do you want to go on upstairs?"

"No, I'm ok," Alec quickly reassured.

"It's not a problem if you do," Sam said. "Everyone will understand."

"I'll tell you if I do," Alec said. Sam nodded, but then he asked, "Can you get me something to drink? I don't know what happened to my water…"

"I'm on it," Sam said with a smile before he disappeared in the crowd.

He shifted slightly, but winced at the pain to his ribs. He'd had some hope that Rocky or Mole could give him a transfusion so he could heal faster, but Mills didn't think it was a good idea since he already had some blood messing with his system. Sam and Dean had quickly jumped on board since neither of them wanted to see him in more pain.

"Morphine or painkillers?" Mills asked, suddenly crouching down beside him.

"I'm alright," he immediately refused.

Mills shook his head no, "Dean sent me over. Your brothers already know you're hurting so either pick one of the painkillers or I'll tell them you need to be taken upstairs."

He glared at the older man, but then grudgingly said, "Painkillers."

Mills smiled and held out three pills for him; two were for the pain and the third was his tryptophan. He took the pills from him, and Sam held out a glass of water for him just in time.

Mills patted his shoulder, and then moved away from him. "You sure you're ok?" Sam asked.

"Sam, I took the painkillers, just let me sit here for a while," Alec said. He was starting to get annoyed with all the attention, which meant he was getting a little snappy with his brothers. He always felt bad after he snapped at them, but he just wanted to be left alone for a while. Maybe he should go upstairs.

Sam nodded, "Alright, just let me know if you need something, ok?"

"Yeah…"

Sam left him and he was alone for a while. People tried to talk to him, and he tried to act normal, but today was not one of his good days. His pain was up and he wasn't in a good mood. He was tired and cranky and the noise was starting to get to him.

Mills was back a couple hours later with a syringe in his hand. "C'mon, you know you need it," he said. "It's not a good day, but it's ok. The morphine will take the edge off and maybe you can sleep for a while."

"I don't want to go upstairs," Alec whispered. He knew it was quiet upstairs and he could sleep without everyone watching him, but he was afraid if he went upstairs, then it would be easier for everyone to just leave him up there. He wouldn't know what was going on and he would be all alone.

"Ok, how 'bout I just get you another pillow so if you fall asleep you won't get a crick in your neck?" Mills asked. "And I'll tell your brothers that it's better to keep you down here where I can keep an eye on you."

He smirked and nodded, "Alright…"

Mills got him another pillow and blanket, but then said, "We can clear everyone out if you want to use the bed again."

He turned just a little bit and sank against the extra pillow. "This is great…"

"Alright, I'm going to give you the morphine too, ok?" Mills asked.

He nodded and closed his eyes. "Yeah…that's fine."

* * *

Everyone knew as soon as Alec was asleep and dropped their voices to be just above a whisper. Dean immediately walked over to his little brother to make sure he was ok. He'd been trying to give Alec some space, but it killed him not knowing if he was ok or if he needed something. He could barely do anything to help him, and now he couldn't even do that. He knew Alec would want space eventually; it wasn't in his DNA to accept help.

"He's alright," Mills said, writing in his book again. He kept track of everything, even though Alec's condition hardly changed.

"He's havin' a bad day…" Dean muttered, pulling the blanket up to Alec's chest.

"He's going to have 'em," Mills said without looking up. "But he's still cooperating, so that's good."

"Do you think this is too much? Should I take him upstairs?" Dean asked, worried he was doing the wrong thing for his little brother.

"Dean, don't move him," Mills said serious, looking up at him. "He doesn't want to go up there. I don't know why, but just keep him here, ok?"

He nodded even though he thought this was too much for Alec, but Mills hadn't been wrong yet, and Alec trusted him. "You think this is helpin' him or hurting him more?" Dean asked. "Do you think we should take him to the hospital?"

"No," Mills said. "The hospital's only going to make this worse. Dean, he just needs time. He's not going to heal overnight, Hell, he shouldn't even be alive right now, but he's still here and we're going to keep him comfortable until he's able to do things on his own. We are helping him, it's just going to take time."

"I just…I want to help him however I can," Dean muttered.

"You are," Mills said with a small smile. "I'll watch over him, ok. But you may want to clear some people out or go somewhere else while he's sleeping. He's probably pretty self-conscious right now."

He nodded in agreement, but then asked, "You'll let me know if he needs something?"

"You know I will," Mill said.

He took a deep breath and ran his hand through Alec's hair one more time before he went back to everyone else. He caught Sam's gaze and his brother nodded, helping him get everyone to the kitchen. It was a tight fit, but everyone knew Alec would want some privacy while he slept.

"He's pretty beat up," Rocky said once they were in the kitchen.

"Looks like he went through a meat grinder if you ask me," Mole grumbled around his cigar. "What the Hell have you been doin' to him."

He glared at Mole, but Rocky spoke before he could say anything back. "Mole, back off, Dean's not lookin' much better than Alec."

"Either way, Fearless Leader ain't gonna be happy," Mole snarled.

"Then she should've dropped what she was doing to come see him," Bear said, suddenly walking over. "We were told it was close and that should have been enough for her."

"She has a whole community to run. She can't drop everything every time Pretty Boy gets his ass handed to him," Mole said.

"She could have left you in charge," Bear spat.

"Is he gonna be ok?" Rocky asked to break up the argument.

"He should be," Dean said. "It's gonna take a while, but the doc thinks he's gonna be ok." He just hoped it was really true; they still didn't know if Alec could walk or not, and they wouldn't know until his fractures healed.

"Hey Dean," Ellen said, walking over to him and pulling him down into a hug. He couldn't believe how many people were in Bobby's tiny house, but everyone was here to see Alec, they were all concerned for him and it felt good knowing people cared so much about his little brother. But it was still a ton of people. They should have called them to tell them to not all come at once. He didn't know how Alec felt about all this, but he was feeling a little overwhelmed and he wasn't even the one everyone was here to see.

"Hey Ellen," Dean greeted.

"I'm guessin' it was a close call with your brother," Ellen said.

He nodded; he didn't want to even think about how close it was, but he knew Ellen really cared for Alec. "Honestly, I don't know how he made it. He…uh…he's been through a lot…"

Ellen patted his cheek, "Just remember, you need to take care of yourself too. You look tired."

He chuckled, "You know I'm not really sleepin' until he gets back on his feet."

"Well, now you've got a whole group of people to look out for him. You should rest while you can," Ellen said.

"Ellen, you know how many times I told him that?" Bobby asked, shaking his head. "Kid won't listen."

He rolled his eyes and walked over to the table where Sam, Jo, Garth, Rufus, Jody, and Henriksen were all sitting. He leaned against the wall behind his brother. "Can you believe Bobby's housin' a Fed?" Rufus asked.

Henriksen smiled, taking a sip of his beer, "Y'know, I'm not exactly at the office right now. I'm not going to arrest you."

"Besides, I hear Jody could actually arrest you," Garth said. "She's a Sheriff in town."

"I'm off duty," Jody said with a smile. "Came here just to check on the boys."

"Yeah, well, can't hurt to be cautious," Rufus grumbled.

Sam smiled, but stood up and motioned him to the other side of the kitchen. He followed his brother and raised his eyebrows in a silent question. "He ok? He wouldn't let me check up on him," Sam said.

"He's asleep," Dean said. "Mills said it wasn't a good day, but that we shouldn't worry."

"This is too many people for him right now," Sam whispered.

"I know…but there's nothin' we can do about it," Dean muttered back. "Besides, they're all just worried about him."

Sam nodded, "We'll have to watch out for Ellen and Jody. They're both gonna try to mother him to death."

Dean chuckled and teased, "Yeah, right behind you."

"Dean, you hover around him way more than I do!" Sam argued.

He laughed since he was able to mess with Sam. He knew it was true, but it was still fun to mess with his brother. He sobered after a moment though and said, "We're gonna have to find things to keep him occupied soon. Maybe it's good that everyone's here. They can give him some company on his good days."

"He's gonna want to start moving around soon too," Sam said.

"I know…we're gonna have to convince him that staying down is better for recovery," Dean said. "Maybe once he's able to move with crutches he'll feel better about it all."

"I'd feel better if he would just relax and let us take care of him," Sam muttered.

"I'd feel better if I knew he could still walk," Dean admitted. "We still don't know if I crippled him or not…"

"Dean, Mills said the scans looked ok. He just needs time to heal," Sam said.

"Dean! I need some help in here!" Mills suddenly yelled.

He and Sam both took off for the living room. Mills was trying to keep Alec from falling out of the chair while also trying to get the oxygen mask over his nose and mouth. Alec was red in the face, his eyes were wide, and he was gasping like he couldn't breathe.

"Keep everyone in the kitchen," Dean said, hitting Sam's chest with the back of his hand. He ran over to Alec's side and tried to help keep him in the chair. He grabbed Alec's arm to try to keep him down, but he wasn't ready for the punch that landed on his jaw. He released Alec and stumbled back. His vision was swimming, and it almost felt like his jaw was broken, but he took a minute and found that he could still move it. He forgot Alec was still incredibly dangerous, more so since he was out of it, even though he was hurt.

There was a crash, making him look up to see Mills falling over a nightstand, the lamp already broken on the floor. Alec suddenly rolled off the chair and hit the floor hard. The heart monitor flat lined since the electrodes had ripped off Alec's chest and the nasal cannula and IV were both gone. His little brother cried out in pain, so he took off again. But Alec was already pushing himself up to find an escape. He cradled his left arm against his bruised chest, and his left leg was shaking with the effort it was taking to keep himself up. Luckily, his right leg still had the brace on it and it looked like he wasn't putting any weight on it. He looked terrified; like he didn't know where he was and like he didn't recognize any of them.

"Alec," Dean said softly to get his little brother's attention. Alec's gaze snapped to him, but there was no spark of recognition. He was deathly pale and he was shaking a lot more now; he was kind of hoping Alec would just pass out. "Alec, it's me, Dean. You wanna sit down for a second? Looks like your leg's gonna give out any second now and that floor's not gonna do you any favors."

"Where the Hell am I?" Alec growled.

"You're at Bobby's," Dean said, keeping his voice as soothing as he could make it. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"This part of the test?" Alec asked in confusion. He looked around the room with distaste before he looked to him again.

"No, this isn't a test," Dean said calmly. Alec thought he was back at Manticore, and he needed to find a way to snap him out of it. "The test is over…and you need to report to medical." He was trying to sound commanding, but still as soothing as possible.

Alec hesitated for a moment before he said, "Yes sir." He looked around for a moment, and then said, "Sir, I don't believe I know where medical is."

"Follow me, soldier," Dean said. He shot Mills a quick look, hoping the man knew where he was headed and would be up there in a few minutes. He felt sick giving Alec orders like this, and then not even being able to help him, but he had to get Alec to snap out of this.

It hurt him to see Alec struggling to walk, and he wanted nothing more than to grab Alec's arm and just carry him upstairs, but he was afraid his little brother would hurt himself more by trying to get away from him. Alec clenched his jaw and forced himself to hop over to the stairs. Dean nearly broke when Alec swayed, but his little brother managed to catch himself on the railing.

He slowly walked up the stairs with Alec hopping up even slower behind him. Alec made it to the top before the strain became too much. He saw his eyes glaze over, and then his leg gave out. Luckily, he had been watching and waiting for Alec to lose his spike of adrenaline and was ready to catch him. He pulled Alec away from the stairs, and picked him up so he could take him into his room.

"Mills, he's out," Dean called out before he went into the room. "Tell Sam and grab what we need and bring it up here."

He didn't wait for Mills to answer, instead he walked in and gently laid Alec onto the bed. He didn't know what they should check first, but he knew Alec had hurt himself more since he hadn't known where he was.

Alec groaned and squeezed his eyes shut, tears leaking out of the corner of his eyes and streaking back into his hair. "Alec…can you hear me?" Dean asked softly. He was afraid to scare Alec, especially since he didn't know if Alec would be back at Manticore again or if he'd be with him.

"Dean?" Alec asked, barely opening his eyes a crack.

"Hey kiddo," Dean said in relief. Alec knew him, so he wouldn't try to fight him again.

Alec took in a sharp breath and tried to curl in on himself, but that only hurt him more. His breaths became shorter, and he could tell his little brother was panicking. He couldn't get a good breath of air, which was probably what started this whole thing in the first place.

He tried to get Alec to lie flat, putting one hand against his chest and one on his hip. Alec hissed in pain though and he quickly moved his hand that was on his chest to Alec's shoulder; he'd forgotten about the bruising on Alec chest and his broken ribs from the CPR.

"Alec, you gotta try to relax," Dean whispered. "Oxygen's on the way, ok? Just take slower breaths." Alec tried to take a slower breath, but whimpered because of his broken ribs. "I know it hurts, but you gotta try."

"W-what happened to your jaw?" Alec asked, stuttering in pain.

"Just an argument in the kitchen," Dean lied. He didn't want Alec to feel bad for hitting him on top of everything else. "What hurts the most? Your leg? Or…you were holdin' your left arm kinda funny…"

"I don't know," Alec whispered. He was losing his energy fast, but he needed Alec to stay conscious. He didn't want him lapsing into another hallucination of some kind.

"Stay with me, Alec," Dean said, gently tapping Alec's cheek. "I know it all hurts, but I need you to stay conscious for a little bit longer, ok?" Alec nodded, so he carefully ruffled his hair.

"Dean, we still good to come in?" Sam asked from the hallway. He must have heard them talking and had thought maybe Alec had slipped back into the hallucination.

"Yeah," Dean said. He really hoped they brought the oxygen with them. He breathed out in relief when Sam hauled the oxygen tank in behind him and Mills followed with his bag in his hand. He looked back to Alec to reassure him that everything was ok, but he stopped when he saw the look on Alec's face. His little brother was looking around the room with a sad, almost hurt, expression. "Alec, what's wrong?" Dean asked.

"Nothing," Alec whispered without looking at him.

He frowned knowing Alec was keeping something from him. "Alec, I don't think anyone saw what happened," Dean reassured, trying to guess what was bothering his little brother.

"It's not that," Alec said. "I mean, yeah, that's embarrassing if they did see, but…It's nothing. My leg's just killing me."

"Alec, talk to me," Dean practically begged. "Whatever it is, I'll try to fix it, ok?"

Alec looked down and his cheeks heated in embarrassment before he mumbled, "We're upstairs…"

"Well, yeah…" Dean said, not really following where Alec was going with this. "I thought we should get away from everyone else for a little bit." Alec swallowed hard and nodded, but he knew he wasn't ok with this. "Alec…I don't…do you wanna go back downstairs?"

"No…I don't…I just…" Alec stammered. His little brother was panicking again, but he needed to get to the bottom of this before he worked on the next problem. "I don't want to be up here," Alec said as fast as he could. "I don't want it to be easier for you to just leave me up here."

Finally, one problem solved. "Alec, we're not gonna leave you up here," Dean whispered, running his hand through Alec's hair. "I just wanted to getcha outta the living room for all this. Besides, all we brought up here was the oxygen tank. You really think we're lettin' you off the heart monitor that easily?" Alec shook his head no and smiled just a little bit. He smiled too; Alec worried about being alone just like he did. "Alright, you ready for us to take care of your leg and anything else?"

"Yeah," Alec breathed out. "I think I broke my wrist too…"

He looked to Mills and asked, "How good are you with broken bones?"

"If it's just a fracture, I can handle it, but I'll have to grab some things," Mills said, leaving the room.

"Holy shit, Dean," Sam said. "What happened to your face?"

"Sam…" Dean said with a sigh.

"I did that, didn't I?" Alec asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Alec, I'm fine," Dean said. "I forgot how hard you punch. You've been pulling back when we spar."

"Yeah, well, blue's not really your color," Alec muttered.

"Sam, let's get him on oxygen," Dean said. He looked to Alec and teased, "Blue's not really your color either."

"I'm not blue," Alec argued. His breathing had gotten a little better, so he wasn't actually blue, but he did smile a little. Sam carefully put the oxygen mask over Alec's nose and mouth, and he actually didn't argue about it, which meant he really needed it. He pulled it down after a second though and asked, "So, how'd you get me up here? Did I pass out or did you manhandle me up here?"

"You hopped across the floor and all the way up the stairs before you passed out," Dean said.

"No wonder my leg hurts so bad," Alec breathed out, settling the mask back on his face.

"So, leg hurts the worst?" Dean asked, and Alec nodded. "Then is it your wrist or your ribs?"

"Ribs," Alec said, closing his eyes. "Can barely tell my wrist hurts compared to everything else."

"How's your head?" Dean asked. He put the back of his hand against Alec's forehead to try to see if his fever had spiked again. His fever had dropped down some, but he still wasn't back to a normal temperature yet. Normal for him anyway. But it felt like his fever hadn't gotten any higher, so he wasn't sure what had caused Alec to hallucinate again.

"I'm ok," Alec said, opening his eyes again. "I think the morphine messed with me."

"Alright, we'll back off the morphine then," Dean said.

Mills came back with another bag and sat down next to Alec's right hip, "We'll check your knee, wrist, and ribs, and then I'll do the normal check, ok?"

Alec nodded and said, "I think the brace saved my knee from a lot of it. Just hurts like Hell."

"This won't help," Mills said, carefully undoing the straps to the brace. Alec clenched his jaw and fisted his hands in the sheets to try to fend off the pain. "Hang in there Alec, I've almost got it off."

"Y-you'd think…I'd be used to this…by now," Alec managed to breathe out. He and Sam both reached over to him to try to give him some comfort, but he didn't think it was doing much.

"Ok, that part's over," Mills reassured. "Just try to relax for a few minutes." Alec nodded again and closed his eyes to try to relax. Dean helped Mills get Alec's sweatpants off of him without jostling him too much, and then unzipped his hoodie so they were ready when Mills was. Mills very gently touched Alec's swollen knee, making Alec jerk back in pain. "Easy Alec," Mills soothed. He touched around his knee, causing Alec to whimper and try to get away, but he and Sam held him in place. "As far as I can tell, your knee was not damaged any more than it already is, but we'll need to get an x-ray when we go back downstairs."

"Should we just take him back down?" Dean asked, knowing Alec probably needed an x-ray for his wrist and his ribs as well.

"Not yet, I can still check a few things up here and give him a few more minutes to recover," Mills said. He gently grabbed Alec's left wrist and carefully looked it over. "Besides, as long as his ribs haven't shifted, then I shouldn't need another picture of his chest for a few more days." Alec let out a surprised yelp of pain, so Mills carefully set his wrist down on the bed again. "Looks like you'll need another brace too."

"Great…" Alec breathed out. "Pretty soon I won't be able to move at all…"

"Your wrist won't take as long to heal as your knee," Mills said, moving on to checking Alec's ribs and chest. There were red marks from where the electrodes had been before they had ripped off his skin and he was still badly bruised. "All things considered, that could've been worse. We're lucky your ribs didn't shift with your fall and puncture your lungs."

"Still pretty bad," Alec whispered, his eyes drifting shut again.

"Hey, if you stay awake, I won't carry you back downstairs," Dean said.

"'M awake," Alec slurred, forcing his eyes back open.

"I'm almost done, Alec," Mills reassured. "Now I just have to do our regular check."

"Good," Alec said in relief. Mills put his stethoscope in his ears and put the other end against Alec's chest. He listened for a minute before he took Alec's blood pressure and checked his temperature. "Alright, least favorite and then we'll go back downstairs," Mills said, pulling out his penlight. Alec flinched when Mills checked his pupils, but he didn't do anything else to show his discomfort. It was almost strange to see Alec so comfortable around Mills, but the older man hardly looked like a doctor, so maybe that helped.

"You think he's ok?" Dean asked.

Mills nodded and smiled as he gently patted Alec's shoulder, "I just want to get some pictures downstairs, and then you can get some sleep."

"Can you check Dean's jaw real quick," Alec asked with his head down.

"Alec, I'm fine," Dean reassured. "I told you it's just bruised."

"I just wanna make sure," Alec mumbled without looking at him.

He ruffled Alec's hair and nodded his ok. Mills stood up and walked around to him. He gently gripped his chin and turned his head so he could see. "Is there pain when you speak?" Mills asked him.

He hesitated and looked at Alec; he knew it wasn't broken, but it still hurt pretty bad. Alec packed a punch when he was trying to defend himself. "It does, but I can still move it," he finally answered.

He winced when Mills pressed against his jaw, but Mills stepped back after a moment and said, "I don't think it's broken. You'll have a pretty good bruise for a while though."

"Dean-"

"Hey, I knew I shouldn't have tried to restrain you when you didn't know where you were," Dean cut off. "I know you come out swingin' when you're hurt. Maybe one of these days I'll learn." Alec still wouldn't look at him, so he changed the subject, "You ready to go downstairs?"

"Yeah…" Alec whispered.

His little brother groaned when he and Sam carefully lifted up his shoulders and his head rolled back. "Alec, try to stay awake," Dean urged, tapping Alec's cheek.

"Dean, maybe we should just carry him downstairs," Sam suggested. "I can set up the bed and keep everyone in the kitchen."

He looked to Mills to see what he thought, and the older man nodded back to him. "He'll probably pass out as soon as you get him on his feet."

Sam made sure he had a good hold on their little brother before he got the oxygen mask off of Alec, taking it with him and quickly leaving the room.

"Does he need the brace back on for when I move him?" Dean asked. He didn't want to hurt his brother more by picking him up without putting the brace back on his knee.

Mills grabbed Alec's discarded sweatpants and the brace, and then helped hold Alec up. "Come over to this side. Keep his knee against you as much as possible and try to keep your movements as smooth as possible."

Dean nodded and moved over to Alec's right side. He slid his hands beneath Alec's shoulders and knees, and he was just about to lift him up when Alec came back around. "Dean?" Alec breathed out.

"Hey kiddo, I'm just gonna carry you downstairs, ok?" Dean asked.

Alec sighed, but he nodded his ok. "Can I at least have my pants back?"

"Not until Mills gets a picture of your knee," Dean said. "But Sammy's keeping everyone in the kitchen, so no one's gonna see you in your boxers." Alec closed his eyes and actually leaned against him, giving him permission to carry him. He knew his brother's pride was taking another hit, but this was the easiest and the safest way to get him back downstairs. He picked Alec up and tried to tease, "Who knew muscle weighed so much."

"Maybe you need to start lifting weights," Alec breathed out, trying his hardest to stay conscious. "Especially since I've lost weight during this whole thing."

"Once we get you eating more than just soup, you'll get your weight back," Dean reassured. "And that'll help get you back on your feet."

Alec nodded, and he knew his little brother was losing his fight. He didn't try to get Alec to fight to stay awake since he knew if he passed out, he'd at least get a small break from the pain. Alec's head dropped back on his arm, signaling that he'd finally given in.

"So, was he dreaming?" Mills asked once Alec was out. "His fever isn't as bad as it was, so I'm not sure what caused him to hallucinate."

"He thinks it was the morphine," Dean said, carefully walking down the stairs. "I'm actually surprised it didn't happen sooner. He usually cuts off the painkillers pretty soon after he first wakes up. If he's too doped up, he doesn't know where he is, and considering everything, we're just lucky he doesn't just kill anyone who comes near him."

"Something with Manticore, right?" Mills asked.

He nodded, "He told me they didn't use painkillers at Manticore, so their senses would still be on high alert. But they usually strapped him down since even when he's hurt, he can do some serious damage. He told me once that if he got seriously hurt and we had to use morphine, then I needed to handcuff him to something so he wouldn't hurt one of us. I just can't bring myself to do it…"

"Dean, he could've broken your jaw," Mills said. "He might've if you hadn't turned slightly at the last second. I'm not saying we should, but it might be safer for him too. He broke his wrist trying to catch himself."

"I'm not restraining him, I won't do it," Dean said. "Even if he had broken my jaw, I still wouldn't do it. He'd hut himself trying to get out of it, he'd be scared, and he wouldn't trust me anymore…Me and Sam can handle a few punches being thrown, but we wouldn't be able to handle that."

"So, no more morphine," Mills said decisively. "Is there anything he can have when it gets to be too much?"

"If it's that bad, then morphine is the only thing that'll work. He burns through regular painkillers too fast," Dean said.

"I've got a lot to learn about transgenics still," Mills said.

"Right now he's more like someone who hasn't had cat DNA mixed in with human," Dean explained. "He's usually back on his feet just a few days after getting hurt, sometimes even sooner. But with the blood loss, mixing in my blood, flatlining and being forced back to life, and to top it off, having seizures for a couple days…he's not healing like he normally does."

He carefully put Alec on the hospital bed once they were in the living room, and started setting him up again. Mills put the electrodes back on Alec's chest, so his rapid heartbeat sounded once more. He maneuvered the oxygen mask back over Alec's nose and mouth, and then gently propped his right knee up with a pillow. He situated his little brother, making sure his arms weren't under him and carefully got his pillow back under his head and neck, while Mills inserted a new IV in his vein.

"I'll get some pictures, and then we'll get the brace back on him," Mills said. "He'll probably wake up when we do that since his knee is still swollen."

"Do you have a brace for his wrist?" Dean asked. Alec's wrist was already darkening with bruises and looked more swollen than it had upstairs; he must have landed on it just right to break it, but at least he hadn't landed on his knee.

"I should," Mills said. "Bobby said to bring everything when he called me, and almost all of my medical supplies are here after taking a few trips back and forth, we'll just have to find where that particular bag ended up."

Mills walked over and situated the portable x-ray; they had pushed the machine to the side of the room, but brought it out when Mills wanted to check Alec's progress. So far, there hadn't been any change, except now, when he had another break to contend with.

Mills tossed him a protective jacket, which he draped over Alec, and then tossed him another one so he could put it on. Mills was quick at getting what he needed, getting a couple pictures of Alec's knee, wrist, and even chest since they already had the machine out. He put it back once they were done, but now they had to get the brace back on.

He kept one arm across Alec's chest and put his other hand on Alec's left leg to keep him down if he woke up. His little brother must have been at his limit though because he didn't move or make a sound during the painful experience.

Mills went off to look for the brace for Alec's wrist, so he zipped up Alec's hoodie and pulled the blankets up to his chest. He sat down next to his little brother and made himself comfortable. He wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

* * *

 _Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!_

 _More soon..._


	18. Chapter 18

"Hey, Mills…" Dean said, cocking his head to the side, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion.

"Yeah?" Mills asked.

"He's got more bruising today than he did before," Dean said. He and Sam were holding Alec up, having just let him have another bath, another bath he only had to have because he'd thrown up on himself after trying to eat solid food, but he'd passed out again when they'd gotten him out of the tub. They'd started to get him dressed, but he stopped when he was carefully getting Alec's arm into the sleeve of the zip hoodie. He knew Alec was bruised across his chest, since when he'd given him CPR he'd broken some ribs and CPR just wasn't gentle on the body, but now his stomach was dark with bruising too. He had only hurt his wrist in his fall earlier, so he didn't know where this came from.

Mills walked over and frowned when he saw the new bruising. He gently touched Alec's stomach, but it must've been tender because Alec groaned and forced his eyes back open.

"Alec, can you hear me, kiddo?" Dean asked.

"Mmmhmm," Alec hummed. He looked unsteady, and maybe a little nauseas.

"You ok?" Dean asked, running his hand through Alec's wet hair, causing it to spike up in all directions. He was expecting Alec to slap his hand away, and his hand did come up, but he covered his mouth instead of slapping him. "Sam, bucket!" Dean said, knowing Alec was about to be sick again. Sam grabbed the trashcan and handed it to him just in time. Alec heaved into the trashcan, but his breath caught when he saw that his little brother wasn't throwing up the grilled cheese anymore, he was throwing up blood. "Mills!" Dean yelled, trying to hold back the panic he was feeling. Throwing up blood was never a good sign. Something else was wrong with Alec. Something that he hadn't caught before.

"Alec, listen to me," Mills said, trying to get Alec to focus. "Did you fall again when we didn't see?" Alec shook his no, and sagged against him. "We need to get him into the main room and get an ultrasound. I believe he's bleeding internally, but I need to double check. If he is, then we need to take him to the hospital."

"No hospital," Alec breathed out.

"Alec, if I'm right, then you'll need surgery," Mills said. "We don't have everything we need to do the surgery here."

"How does he have internal bleeding?" Sam asked, putting his hand against Alec's back. "We would've caught this."

Mills shook his head, "Either it was from the fall or it was from before…Can you tell me every injury he's had the last few days and how he got them?"

He and Sam were both quiet as they tried to think back to how this all started. "He probably had a small concussion from when Henriksen slammed his head against the counter," Dean finally said.

"And he got shot running from the cops, but we got him stitched up," Sam said. "But then we got hit by that car…"

"That caused the knee injury," Dean said. "But that was it. He was fine other than that."

"Then he just had the seizures," Sam said. "The only other thing was CPR and the fall from earlier."

"Fell down the stairs too…" Alec muttered. "That hurt…"

He and Sam looked at each other, and Mills nodded, but then asked, "Did you land on your stomach or did anything land on you?"

"We all fell on top of each other…I ended up at the bottom of the pile," Alec said.

"That could've been it," Mills said.

"And it just now showed up?" Dean asked.

"The bleeding could have been slowed," Mills said. "Sometimes internal bleeding clears up on its own, but this has progressed. It could also be that his circulation finally caught up and now his blood's moving like it should, except now he's bleeding internally. Or the fall from earlier caused the bleeding to get worse and made it a problem."

"If we had what you needed, could you do it?" Dean asked.

Mills took a deep breath, "Dean, it's been years since I've done a surgical procedure. The best option for him is to take him to the hospital."

"No…please Dean…" Alec begged.

"It would be impossible to explain all his injuries," Sam pointed out.

"What kind of surgery?" Dean asked.

"If it's what I think it is then I'd have to do an exploratory laparotomy. I would have to make an incision into his abdomen and just look for what's bleeding. If I can find it, then depending on what's bleeding or how bad it is, I would either have to stitch him up or cauterize what's bleeding," Mills explained.

"Sounds like you know what you're doing," Alec said. "What's the big deal?"

"Alec, all we have here is some oxygen and morphine. We can't put you under here," Mills said.

"Nothin' I haven't been through before," Alec said. "Except I normally have surgery without morphine and they only put me on oxygen when I'm taking a turn for the worse."

Mills clenched his jaw, but then tried another track, "We don't have a way to keep you from moving. And if you move, then I could make things much worse, maybe even kill you."

"So, I won't move," Alec muttered, sounding like it was obvious.

"Alec-" Mills started, but he stopped when Alec turned to the trashcan and threw up again.

"Give us a list, we'll get what you need," Dean said.

"Within reason," Sam tacked on. Dean rolled his eyes, but he knew it was true. They couldn't steal the major medical equipment, but they could get some more morphine and some more supplies if Mills needed it.

"You already have everything," Alec said, his voice weak.

"Alec, if we're gonna do this, we'll do it how Mills says, ok?" Dean said. "I don't want a repeat of what happened at the clinic…"

"Before anything's final, we need to get an ultrasound to see what's going on," Mills said. "If I know I can't do it, then the hospital's the only option."

"Alright, c'mon kiddo, let's go see what's goin' on," Dean said, helping Alec get to his feet.

"Bring the trashcan," Alec breathed out.

* * *

He could only watch as everyone moved around him. Bear and Rocky took off to find what was on the list that Mills wrote up, Rufus, Henriksen, and Mole went out to find a table, Bobby and Jo went into the junk yard for something, Jody and Ellen hung around him to see if he needed anything, and Sam, Dean, and Mills went through their inventory and Mills was giving Dean a step-by-step tutorial on what was going to happen.

He felt terrible, but at least it finally made sense why. He thought it was just because he'd lost so much blood earlier, and that's why he hurt and he wasn't even starting to heal, but he wasn't healing because he was still bleeding.

He was a little nervous about this whole thing, but he was always nervous before surgery. He wasn't scared about dying, he was scared about what Sam and Dean would do it he did. They'd made it pretty clear that they were in this for the long haul and he didn't want them to do something crazy, or even give up, if he died.

"Jody," Alec whispered, feeling the need to tell her some things in case he didn't make it.

"Yeah honey?" Jody asked, turning away from the bookshelf and facing him again.

"If this doesn't go as planned…can you arrest Sam and Dean so they can't do something stupid?" Alec asked.

Jody looked like she was about to stop him when he started, but then laughed as soon as he asked if she could arrest them. "Alec, I'm not going to arrest them because everything's going to go as planned."

"But if it doesn't-"

"Alec, you can't think like that. Everything's going to be fine, otherwise Nathan would take you to the hospital," Jody said. It took him a minute to figure out that Nathan was Mills. He'd forgot what the man's first name was.

"Why are they getting a table again?" Alec asked. He'd lost the conversation a few times, so there were some gaps in what was going on.

Jody brushed his hair back and said, "That way you can still use the bed after this. And the table will be a flat surface and more like an OR table than the bed is."

"And what's Bobby and Jo doing?" Alec asked. He wished his brothers were over here, but they were going to help Mills, so they needed to know the steps to the procedure.

"I just know they went outside to find something," Jody said.

"Jody…can you get me my phone?" Alec asked softly. Jody nodded and found his phone over on the nightstand.

"I'll be just a few steps away," Jody said. "Let me know if you need something else."

He nodded, but then just held his phone in his hands. He wanted to call Max, but he didn't want to freak her out. He just wanted to hear her voice again, just in case. He took a steadying breath, and then dialed Max's number.

The phone kept ringing, and he was almost afraid it was going to go to voicemail, but then she answered, "Go for Max."

She sounded breathless and he knew he'd interrupted something, but he wasn't about to hang up. "Hey Maxie."

"Alec," Max breathed out. "I-are you-I wanted to be there, I just couldn't."

"It's ok, Max," Alec reassured. "This is good." He felt a little better just hearing her voice again.

"Are you ok?" Max asked. "Mole hasn't been a very good source for what's going on…"

"Y'know, you could've just called me…" Alec said, feeling the hurt spike again that she hadn't even tried to check on him. He understood why she couldn't make the trip since it would be a long time away from the Valley, but she could've called him.

"Alec-"

"It doesn't matter," Alec cut off. "I'm fine. I just wanted to make sure everything was ok."

"It's busy," Max said. "We started running low on food, so we've been going on more supply runs. And we had a bad run-in with the sector cops, but it's better now." She was quiet for a minute, but then asked, "How bad is it?"

"I'm just gonna be laid up for a few days…it would've been a wasted trip," Alec said.

"Alec, even though Mole doesn't go into detail on a lot of things he doesn't really beat around the bush either," Max growled. "Cut the crap and tell me what's going on."

"If you wanted to know so bad why didn't you call?!" Alec asked, his voice rising in agitation. The room went silent and Max went silent on the other end. He saw Dean immediately drop what he was doing and start over to him. He handed his brother the phone and sank back against his pillow. He knew it was stupid to call her, especially when he was hurt and his emotions were too close to the surface.

"Hey Max, it's Dean," Dean said.

'Dean,' Max said in relief. He could barely hear her side of the conversation, and he could tune it out if he wanted to, but he didn't want to. 'I'm sorry, I should've called, but I knew as soon as I talked to him I'd drop everything and run. I can't leave right now…I just can't.'

"I know," Dean said, taking a few steps away from him. "He just wanted to talk to you, that's all."

'How bad is it?' Max asked.

"Well, we're about to do surgery in Bobby's living room, so he's had better days," Dean said

'You're what?!' Max shouted. 'Put Alec back on the line!'

"No Max, he needs to rest and you yelling at him isn't going to help anything," Dean said.

'Dean!'

Dean pulled the phone from his hear and clicked a button, ending the call. "You can call her again after surgery if you want," Dean said. He turned and set it back on the nightstand before he walked back over to him. "Sorry kiddo, she was tryin' to take out my hearing…"

He smirked, "I know, I could hear."

"Damn. I forgot about your super-hearing," Dean teased.

"I shouldn't have called her," Alec muttered with his head down.

"No, you shouldn't have," Dean said, sitting next to him. " _She_ should've called _you._ "

He smiled at his big brother and felt better as soon as he reached over and ruffled his hair. "So, you a surgeon yet?"

Dean chuckled and shook his head no, "Not even close, kiddo. But I'm not the one in charge this time, thank God."

"Don't worry, ok? I'll be alright," Alec whispered. "I'm-"

"Don't even think about saying it," Dean warned. "I know your line, and it doesn't work on me."

"I was gonna say, I'm gonna be happy when this is all over," Alec said with a smirk.

Dean huffed and messed up his hair again before he stood up, "Take it easy, ok? We'll do this in about an hour."

"Sooner if everyone gets back, right?" Alec asked. He didn't like waiting; he just wanted to get this over with and finally be done with all this.

Dean hesitated before he nodded, "Yeah, we'll do it sooner if everyone gets back."

"What's the game plan for the surgery? Are you and Sam gonna be there too?" Alec asked. He knew Dean needed to get back to Mills, but he wanted to know exactly what was going to happen.

"We'll be there," Dean reassured. "Mills is going to do it, but we'll be there to help. And someone will be monitoring you the entire time, so there will only be three or four people in here while we do this unless we need some help."

"What're we gonna do if I need more blood?" Alec asked.

"Rocky already gave a bag of blood, and if it looks like things are taking a turn, then Bear will be ready to give a bag too," Dean said. "But that's a last resort. Mills still thinks a bad idea to mix in more blood now."

Alec nodded, feeling better than he had and even a little optimistic that this would work. He dozed off for a while, but he knew when everyone was back, and his eyes snapped open. Dean gave him a small smile when he saw he was awake again and slowly walked over.

"What's wrong?" Alec asked, knowing Dean was trying to cover something up.

"Everything's ready," Dean said. "But…we found a way to keep you from moving, but if you're not good with it, then we won't do it, ok?"

"What is it?" Alec asked slowly. He didn't like how hesitant Dean sounded. His big brother didn't like this plan, which made him not like it either.

"Bobby put together some seatbelts from the cars outside and screwed them to the table," Dean admitted.

He chuckled and shook his head, "Dean, that's not gonna hold me…" He thought it was going to be something bad, but that was hardly anything. The best the seatbelts would do would be to remind him that he shouldn't move.

Dean scowled, "Seriously?"

He shrugged back, "I mean, it'll help remind me not to move, but unless they're closer to handcuffs or zip ties, they aren't going to work."

"Damn…alright, we'll figure something else out…" Dean muttered.

"Dean, is everything else ready?" Alec asked before Dean could walk away. His brother nodded so he said, "Then let's just get this over with. I'm not feelin' so great and I'd like to start healin' eventually…I swear I won't move."

"Ok, throw off that blanket and I'll move ya to the table," Dean said. He did as he was told and didn't bother arguing about being carried. He knew he wouldn't get far; he felt like he was going to pass out just by sitting up for too long.

White hot pain shot through him as soon as Dean shifted him. He cried out and tried to give in to unconsciousness, but it wasn't happening. He felt tears leak from the corners of his eyes and fall back into his hair.

"Ok, ok, everything's ok," Dean said over and over again. He suddenly felt a hard surface beneath him, and knew he was on the table.

"Help me get everything set up," Mills said. "We need to move fast."

Everything was slightly muffled, like he was underwater, and everything was kind of blurry. He felt straps cross his chest and waist, and more straps restrained his wrists and ankles. His rapid heartbeat filled the room and an oxygen mask was put over his nose and mouth. He didn't fight any of it, not only because he knew he couldn't, but because he knew this was the only way to get the pain to stop.

"Hey Alec," Sam said, suddenly appearing in his line of sight. He blinked a few times to get his older brother in focus, but he finally managed it and Sam gave him a small smile. "I'm gonna sit with you, ok? I'll be here the whole time." He felt something squeeze his hand, and it took him a second to realize Sam had grabbed his hand.

Fingers brushed through his hair, helping soothe him. He knew this was going to get a whole lot worse and he really wished he could just pass out to save his brothers from this. He knew this would hurt them just as much, maybe even more, than it hurt him. He just wanted to make this easy for them.

His heartrate spiked when he felt something cold on his stomach. "Easy Alec," Sam whispered. "That's just the antiseptic." He nodded; he needed to keep himself together. "Alec, what's something else you want to see? We've gone to the ocean, and mountains, and big cities…what else?"

He could feel something sharp against his skin, but he ignored it and tried to answer Sam, "B-big…biggest b-ball of tw-twine."

Sam chuckled and ran his hand through his hair, "Smartass. Is it because you're part cat?" He closed his eyes tight as pain nearly overwhelmed him. "Y'know, I think we should hit up Disneyland."

"S-seriously?" Alec asked with a pained smile.

"Hey, nothin' wrong with Disneyland," Sam defended.

He could hardly breathe now the pain was so bad. He knew he was about to pass out, but he wanted to give Sam a real answer. "Th-the Gr-Grand Can-Canyon…"

"Ok Alec, we'll go to the Grand Canyon," Sam said. His pain spiked again, and this time he felt like he could pass out, so he did.

* * *

He was groggy when he finally woke up again. It was dark in the living room now and he could tell he was back on the bed. He could hear his steady heartbeat and he could feel the tickle of oxygen in his nose. Either the surgery went as planned or they pumped him full of morphine and decided to take him to the hospital when he woke up again.

He looked around for his brothers and saw they were asleep on either side of him, both resting against the bed and each one holding one of his hands. His eyebrows rose when he noticed that everyone was in the living room, but they were all asleep. Bobby, Ellen, and Jo were all on the sofa, Rufus was in the recliner, Mole had brought in a kitchen chair, Rocky and Bear were on the floor leaning against each other, Henriksen was at the desk, Jody was on a blowup mattress, and Garth was leaning against the wall. He couldn't believe they were all just sleeping in the living room, waiting for him to wake up.

"Hey Alec," Mills whispered, coming up from behind him. "How're you feeling?"

"A little out of it," Alec replied honestly.

"That's normal," Mills reassured. He started checking his vitals and writing them down as he spoke, "We got the bleeding stopped. We had to use stitches instead of cauterization, but they'll disintegrate once you're healed. You're still on bedrest, but from what Sam and Dean have told me, you should start healing pretty fast now."

"Let's hope," Alec breathed out.

"Other than that, the surgery went great," Mills said. "I think Dean's shaping up to be a pretty good surgeon, and your brothers are already planning your trip to the Grand Canyon."

He smiled knowing that really would be their next stop once he was healed enough to move. "Can we wake 'em up? Let them know I'm ok?" Alec asked. He didn't have much energy and what he did have was quickly running out.

Mills chuckled and nodded, "I'm surprised they haven't woken up already." He shook Sam and Dean's shoulders, and they both instantly popped up and looked for him.

"Hey kiddo," Dean said at the same time that Sam asked, "How're you feeling?"

"Tired," Alec said.

Dean ran his hand through his hair and asked, "Did Mills already fill you in?"

"Yeah…I'm all stitched up now," Alec said with a small smile.

"That doesn't mean you can get up and do whatever you want," Sam pointed out. "You've still got some recovery time to put in."

"I know," Alec said. "But maybe now I won't pass out every two seconds."

"That would be nice," Dean teased.

"Seriously, on the pain scale what're you at?" Sam asked.

"'Bout an eight," Alec breathed out. He was about at his limit for consciousness, so he needed to wrap up his reassurances.

"Alec, I'm going to need you to take some pills and drink some water before you go to sleep again," Mills said. "We're holding off on the morphine as much as possible, so I've got some low-level painkillers and your tryptophan."

"That's good," Alec said. He wasn't looking forward to having another episode in front off all his friends, so he was glad they weren't giving him morphine.

 _'If I lay here_

 _If I just lay here_

 _Would you lie with me and just forget the world'_

"Someday, Alec," Dean grumbled, grabbing his phone from the nightstand and handing it to him. "Someday I'm gonna get rid of this freakin' ringtone."

Alec smiled and quickly answered the phone so he wouldn't wake anyone up. "Yeah?"

"Alec, it's me," Max said.

"Oh…hey," Alec said. "Dean was throwin' a fit about my ringtone again so I didn't check who it was…"

Max laughed on the other end of the line, "Someday you'll have to change it or else lose your phone."

"Yeah, we'll see. He actually likes the song, he's just pretending he doesn't," Alec said.

It was quiet for a moment, and then Max asked, "How're you feeling?"

"Better," Alec said. "Won't be back to 100% for a while, but I'm not on death's door anymore either, so that's good."

"Alec, I'm sorry for not calling earlier. I should have…I should be there now, but I can't right now," Max said.

"It's ok," Alec reassured. "Besides, you and Dean would just fight the whole time anyway."

"That's true," Max said.

"Listen, Max, I'd love to sit and chat some more, but I'm about at my limit," Alec admitted. He wanted to keep talking to Max, but he didn't want to pass out while he was talking to her. He was doing better, but he still wasn't going to heal overnight.

"Get some rest," Max said. "I'll still try to come see you, ok?"

"Ok Maxie," Alec said. His hand fell back to the bed, and Dean gently grabbed his phone from him.

"Alec, take some pills for me, ok?" Mills gently prodded. "Then you can sleep."

He nodded and let the older man drop some pills into his mouth. He took a sip of water to wash them down, and then his eyes closed. He hadn't dropped off entirely, but he was getting close. He could still feel one of his brothers pull his blanket up higher while the other fluffed his pillow, and then they both sat down again and grabbed his hands.

"He should be alright now," Mills whispered.

"He woke up a lot faster than he usually does after surgery," Dean said.

"We didn't use anesthesia this time," Sam said. "He only takes forever when he goes under." It was quiet for a minute, and then Sam asked, "You ok?"

"Yeah," Dean answered. "I'm just hopin' this will really help him."

"Can't believe we missed his internal bleeding…" Sam said.

"You can't catch everything," Mills said. "That was a slow bleed and should've cleared up on its own, but with everything else it just got worse over time. All that matters is that we did catch the bleeding and we stopped it in time. He should start recovering now, but he's still going to need to take it easy."

"And there's the hard part," Dean muttered. He smirked when Dean suddenly started talking to him, "Listen up, kiddo. I'm not takin' you to the Grand Canyon unless you make my life easy for the next few weeks, got it?"

"You'll st'll take me…" Alec slurred.

"Go to sleep," Dean said, a smile in his voice. He ruffled his hair after a second, and then the chair squeaked as he sat back down. He drifted off again knowing his brothers weren't going anywhere.

* * *

 _Ok, Alec's officially on the mend. I will stop torturing him for a while! But there will be some R &R at Bobby's._

 _More soon..._


	19. Chapter 19

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Alec asked, his eyes wide with panic. He didn't want to get in trouble with his brothers no matter how much he wanted to move.

"C'mon, fresh air will do you good," Rocky said. "Besides, Sam and Dean are outside anyway, and this will be the best way for them to keep an eye on you."

"I'm just not supposed to move from my bed without them around…" Alec said. He'd woken up and only Rocky, Bear, and Mole had been around. Rocky had immediately smiled when he saw he was awake and had decided they should go outside. It'd been about a day since his surgery; he felt better than he had in days, but he knew getting up too soon would be a mistake.

"You'll have three transgenics with you," Rocky said, "We won't let you fall."

"Alec, you don't have to do it if you don't want to," Bear reassured. "But maybe it will feel nice to have the sun against your skin again."

He couldn't argue with that, but he still wasn't entirely convinced. "I can't stay on my feet that long…or foot…whatever. And I'm hooked up to all this stuff…This is a bad idea."

"Who the Hell are you and where's the real Alec," Mole grumbled. "The real Alec would've been putting this plan together, and tryin' to convince us that it was a good idea."

"Back off, both of you," Bear said before she looked to him again. "Alec, we have a plan, but we'll stop if you really don't want to do it."

"What's the plan?" Alec asked suspiciously.

"We move the recliner outside, get an extension cord for the heart monitor, and roll all this stuff out with you," Rocky said. "Hell, I'll even carry the recliner with you in it, so you'll never actually be on your feet."

"You're definitely not carrying me," Alec said.

"Ok, so we'll still do all that, but one of us will help you outside," Rocky amended.

"Yeah, and what happens when Sam and Dean see all this goin' on?" Alec asked. "You gonna take the heat?"

Bear huffed and went outside, but came back a few minutes later with Sam in tow. "Sam, we have a proposition to make."

"Ok…" Sam said slowly. His brother looked to him to see what was going on, but he just shook his head and looked away. He really hoped Sam didn't think this was his idea.

"We think Alec should be outside with you guys," Rocky said. "We've got a plan to get him out there with all the equipment. It should be a piece of cake and it'll be good for Alec to get some sun and some fresh air."

Sam thought about it for a minute before he asked, "Do you want to go outside?"

He looked up and raised his eyebrows in surprise; he expected Sam to shoot this down as soon as he heard it. "Um…I…I wouldn't mind going outside, but I thought you guys didn't want me moving…"

"Let me call Mills real quick to see what he thinks, but I think it'd be ok," Sam said. "As long as we get everything out there alright and you just relax some more, I don't see a problem. But let me call Mills and I'll be right back."

He smiled; he might actually get to go outside and see what was going on. He wanted a change of scenery, but he had kept the complaining down to a minimum. He knew his brothers really cared about him, and he wasn't helping by complaining about things. He would really like to get out of bed and maybe soon get some crutches to use. But his wrist was going to make using crutches difficult. He had a brace on his left wrist now, and he wasn't supposed to move it for another week or so. It really just depended on how his next x-rays turned out.

He hoped he was healing faster now, but he couldn't be sure. His chest still hurt when he breathed and his knee…well, his knee was going to take a while, so he wasn't going to base his healing on that. But maybe his wrist would heal the fastest, and then he could use crutches.

"Alright, up and at 'em," Sam said with a smile, coming back into the room. Sam walked around to his left side and carefully helped him sit up. "Rocky, set up whatever you were thinking." His brother looked to him and said, "Everything stays on, but you can sit outside for a while."

"Sam…I'm gonna need some pants…" Alec muttered, realizing he was still in his boxers. It was easier to just go without pants since Mills had to check his knee every so often, and since his second bath and the surgery…well, he was just lucky to still have his boxers on. It was a lot of work getting a full-grown man dressed when he was unconscious and unable to help. But it was chilly outside and he didn't want to hop around in just his boxer and the zip hoodie. He wouldn't argue about not having a shirt on as long as he got some pants.

Sam smiled, "I'm already ahead of you, little brother." He held up his sweatpants and pulled back the covers. He would've complained about having a little warning next time, but Manticore alums were used to little to no privacy. Manticore didn't really care about nudity since technically they were just tools instead of people. He wouldn't even say he was all that concerned about people seeing him naked, but he'd kind of gotten used to the outside world where that kind of thing was strange.

"If I pass out, are you gonna call the whole thing off?" Alec asked as Sam helped him get the sweatpants on.

"Just try not to pass out," Sam hedged.

"What exactly did Mills say?" Alec asked. Sam was hiding something, he could tell. His brothers weren't very good liars when they were lying to him.

"He might've said that he didn't think moving you was such a good idea…" Sam said. "But it's about the same distance from there to the bathroom, and I figure you've already made that trip a couple times, so you might as well sit outside where me and Dean can keep an eye on you."

"What're you guys doing anyway?" Alec asked. It had been weird to wake up and see they weren't there, but maybe they'd been trying to give him some space.

"Dean's trying to fix the car," Sam said. "It's pretty banged up, and if we're ever going to hit the road again then it's gotta be fixed. And Bobby thinks a storms comin' in, so we're gonna get as much done today that we can, which is why neither of us were around when you woke up."

Sam helped him sit up, and he actually managed to hold in his groan of pain _and_ the room stayed where it was. It'd been a while since the room hadn't tipped or spun any time he moved. It was nice that everything stayed where it was supposed to. He smiled and looked over at Sam, "Nothing's spinning."

"Really? You don't feel lightheaded or nauseous?" Sam asked.

"Nothing," Alec said, his smile widening. "I still hurt, but it feels really good to see everything stay in one place."

Sam chuckled and rubbed his back, "It's good to hear you sayin' everything's in one place again, too. We were pretty worried…if you didn't notice…"

"Yeah, no shit," Alec replied. "And news flash, I know you're still worried and you probably won't stop worrying until…well…ever. You're never going to stop worrying because…because…we're a family." He smiled at his big brother, finally realizing that he did belong here, with Sam and Dean. They were a family and he deserved to have a family.

He jumped when Sam's arms suddenly wrapped around him. "Hate to break this to you, but you're right. We're never going to stop worrying about you," Sam said.

He leaned against his brother and tried to memorize this feeling. He liked feeling like he belonged and he never wanted to lose this feeling. But, he still couldn't let Sam get away with dragging him into this chick-flick moment. "In case you were wondering, I would still like to go outside today," Alec quipped.

Sam chuckled and messed up his hair before he carefully stood up, keeping his hands on his shoulders in case he fell over. But he really was feeling good. He knew he wasn't healed and he was going to take a long time to get back to normal, but he was going to enjoy this feeling while it lasted.

"Ok, we'll just take this slow, ok? And if you do feel like you're going to pass out, tell me so I can get you back to the ground," Sam said as he carefully unhooked the wires from the electrodes, removed the IV tube from the catheter in the back of his hand, and took off his nasal cannula. He didn't even bother helping since his brothers had this down. They were faster at getting him off the equipment than he was now.

"Yeah," Alec said with a nod.

He braced himself as Sam got him up on his feet, and only felt a little woozy at the new altitude. "You still good?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," he breathed out. He knew it was a long way to the door, longer than the trip to the bathroom, but he wanted to do this. "So, how long do you think it'll take before I get upgraded to crutches?"

"Alec, just because I'm letting you go outside, it doesn't mean you're ready for crutches," Sam said quickly, thinking he was trying to go too fast.

"Sam, I know it's gonna be a while," Alec tried to reassure. "I'm just trying to find something to make the trip outside a little better."

"Does this hurt too much?" Sam asked in concern.

"Sam," Alec groaned. "Just talk about something and keep moving. Talk about what Dean's gonna do to fix the car."

Sam nodded and said, "Well, he's gotta get the dents out, fix the paint…um clean the seats…"

He laughed and accused, "You have no idea what he's gonna do."

Sam laughed too, "Yeah, I have no idea. I just hand him things and he does everything else."

"Sam, stop for a second," Alec said. He needed a moment to catch his breath so he didn't fall over. He was doing better, but he had a ways to go.

"We're about halfway," Sam said. "Do you want to keep going or go back to bed?"

"Keep going," Alec said. "I'm alright, I just needed to catch my breath."

"Ok, tell me if you want to stop again," Sam said.

He nodded and slowly kept up with Sam's pace. He was still hopping on his left leg, with his right arm around Sam's shoulders and Sam's arm around his waist. Sam and Dean were usually on either side of him, so they must think he was getting better too.

"Ok, here we go," Sam said, easing him onto the recliner. He was only somewhat out of it as Sam hooked him back up to the machines, put one pillow under his head and one under his knee, and draped a blanket over him. "How's that?"

"Perfect," Alec breathed out. "Sun feels great…" He shifted slightly, and then said, his voice slightly slurred, "Think I'll just close my eyes for a bit…"

"Alright," Sam said, a smile in his voice. "Soak up that vitamin D."

He chuckled as he drifted off.

* * *

"Need some help?"

"Shit," Dean breathed out. He'd jumped so he'd hit his head; he was under the Impala, but he hadn't been expecting anyone to walk over to him for a while.

"Sorry man," Rocky said. "Didn't mean to sneak up on you."

"Nah, it's cool," Dean said, rolling out from under his car. "I was thinkin' Sammy would be comin' back eventually, but I haven't seen him…"

"He's with Alec," Rocky said, reaching down to help him up.

"That's good. He's probably gonna wake up again soon," Dean said.

"So, you want some help?" Rocky asked again.

"Yeah, I'm gonna try to get the dents out today before it starts raining," Dean said. "Usually, I've gotta get in the car and shove as hard as I can to get 'em out, but with you here…" He trailed off and patted Rocky's chest. "Looks like this is gonna go a lot faster than I thought."

"Great, just tell me what to do," Rocky said with a smile.

He nodded and started to go around the Impala, but he shot a quick glance to the house, thinking about his brothers. He stopped short though when he saw Alec napping in a recliner out on the porch. Sam was sitting next to their sleeping brother with his feet up on the rails, reading a book.

"Dean, he's alright," Rocky said, seeing his look.

"I'll be right back," Dean muttered. He walked over to the porch and shoved Sam's legs off the rail, earning him a glare. He glared right back and nodded over to Alec. "What the Hell?" Dean whispered. "He's not supposed to move."

"Dean, look at him," Sam said softly. "He's been sleeping for over an hour now. I've never seen him so peaceful before."

He was about to brush Sam off, but he did look at Alec and forgot what he was going to say. His little brother was actually asleep. Not the forced sleep he was usually in or even when he was unconscious, he was _really_ asleep. His mouth was slightly open and he was completely relaxed. No twitching muscles, no turning in his sleep, no rapid breathing like he was running from something. He was actually asleep.

"He's _actually_ asleep," Dean whispered in surprise.

"I was gonna move him back inside after a little while, but I'm not gonna wake him up," Sam said.

"No, don't wake him up," Dean quickly agreed.

"If I'd known he'd get some real sleep by moving him outside, I would've moved him a long time ago," Sam said.

"Hell, I'd kick him outta the motel room if I'd known that," Dean said.

Sam chuckled and nodded, "He'd be pissed if you did that."

"I wouldn't actually kick him out," Dean said. "But he is a pain in the ass sometimes."

"Yeah, well, you know he takes after his big brother," Sam teased.

"If he wasn't asleep right now, I'd push you off your chair," Dean said.

"Luckily, he is asleep," Sam said. "So get back to work before you wake him up."

Dean rolled his eyes and shot Alec one more look before he walked back to the Impala. "So, was he ok?" Rocky asked.

He smiled and nodded, "Yeah…he's actually better than he's been in a long time. I don't think I've ever seen him that relaxed."

"It's the cat in him," Rocky said. "Cats like sleepin' in the sun. He'll probably wake up as soon as it starts raining."

"Probably when those clouds roll in," Dean said, looking at the horizon. "C'mon, we gotta get these…" He looked at his baby and saw that the dents were all popped out. Work that was going to take an entire afternoon, was already done. "Thanks man," Dean said, looking back to Rocky.

Rocky shrugged, "Least I can do. Now go hang out with your brothers. Your car can wait another day."

He smiled and nodded, leaving Rocky and his baby to rejoin his brothers.

"Back so soon?" Sam said with a smirk.

"Rocky's a better helper than you are," Dean said, sitting on the porch step and resting his forearms on his knees. "Y'know who's a great helper? Alec."

"Really?" Sam asked.

"Yeah…Remember our prank war?" Dean asked. Sam nodded so he said, "When I broke the Impala he came out and helped me put her back together. He's quick…picked it up incredibly fast."

"I'm surprised he didn't already know," Sam said. "He seems to know pretty much everything."

Dean shrugged, "He pretends he knows everything, doesn't mean he does."

They were quiet for a few minutes, and then Sam said, "You know something?"

"What?" Dean asked.

"I think he finally gets it," Sam said. "I think he gets that we're not going anywhere."

He nodded, "Maybe that's why he's so relaxed right now. He feels safe."

"Finally," Sam said with a huff. "How long's it been now?"

He tried to think back to when they first found Alec, but it seemed like a distant memory now, like Alec had been with them forever. "It's gotta be two years now, right?" Dean asked back. "Maybe a little more?"

"Just two years?" Sam asked back. "Seems longer than that…"

"Well, at least he finally gets it," Dean said.

* * *

Alec jumped awake as soon as the first raindrop hit the roof. "Hey, you're alright," Dean reassured, but then teased, "You're still outta the rain, so you're not gonna get wet."

He looked around in surprise, "I'm still outside?" He was still in the recliner, everything was still hooked up, but he was still on the porch. He expected Sam to move him back inside…

Dean chuckled, "Yeah, you slept like a rock. Didn't want to ruin that."

"It's raining," Alec said, even though that much was obvious. Man, he must've really slept like a rock. He was confused, but the only pain he was feeling was his knee.

Dean nodded and tried not to laugh, "Yeah, it is raining."

He blinked a few times and tried to reorient himself. "What day is it?"

"Alec, it's still Tuesday," Dean said. "You only slept for about 6 hours."

"That's the best sleep I've ever had," Alec admitted. He honestly couldn't remember ever sleeping that well before in his life. He'd woken up plenty of times confused and disoriented because of injuries, but he'd never been this confused after sleeping for a while. "Are you sure it's still Tuesday?"

Dean laughed, "Yeah Alec, it's still Tuesday. You hungry or want something to drink?"

"Yeah…um…I guess so," Alec muttered.

"Ok, stay put and I'll be right back," Dean said, giving him a warning look before he got up and walked back inside.

He took a few minutes to try and reorient himself to everything; he felt pretty good, just a little out of it still. The sun had felt so good and he'd just sort of dozed off. He'd only meant to take a small nap, but obviously it was way too comfortable and he'd slept forever.

"Ok kiddo, you've got two options," Dean said, walking back out. "You can eat soup _or_ oatmeal. And once you're done Mills wants to check you over again."

"Mills is here?" Alec asked.

"Yeah, he got here a couple hours ago," Dean said, and then asked to get him back on track, "Soup or oatmeal?"

"Oatmeal," Alec replied. It wasn't his favorite, but he was ready to eat anything other than soup.

"Oatmeal!" Dean yelled behind him. He turned back to him and said with a smirk, "That's the one good thing about havin' so many people here." He shifted slightly to get more comfortable, but winced when the movement shifted his ribs. "You ok?" Dean immediately asked. He saw his brother instantly regret asking, afraid he was hovering too much again.

"Yeah, I'm alright," Alec said. He hesitated for a second, but then said, "I'm sorry for snappin' at you…I know you're just worried…"

"Alec, since you're always the one who gets the raw end of the deal on hunts, you've never seen me or Sam seriously hurt," Dean said. He frowned; he didn't want to even think about Sam or Dean being seriously hurt. He'd take any injury if it saved his brothers. "We're a lot more difficult to deal with than you are."

"I hope I never have to find out," Alec whispered.

Dean looked shocked to hear that; like he was surprised that someone would actually be worried for him. Dean blinked a few times before he muttered, "Yeah, I hope not too."

"Dean, I'm serious," Alec said. Dean looked his way and he chickened out from saying what he'd been planning on. "I'm a trained assassin. I'm not so good at the whole nursemaid routine…"

Dean cracked a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm not so good at playin' a surgeon, but I've done it twice now…"

He hated seeing the haunted look in his brother's eyes, especially since he was the reason it was there. "Dean, I'm sorry. I should've just gone to the hospital both times. I shouldn't have made you do this."

"Alec-"

"If I'd just gone to the hospital the first time, they would've caught the internal bleeding before it got so bad. And I probably wouldn't have broken my wrist," Alec pointed out.

"Yeah? Except maybe you would've bled out while we tried to find a hospital. Or once we got there, you might've flatlined and they would've called it," Dean said, his voice rising in agitation. "They could've missed the internal bleeding too, and since they would've drugged you so you wouldn't wake up, it could've bled until it was too late. And since you would've been drugged the whole time, who knows what would've happened. You could've still gotten hurt or maybe you'd disappear. Think you were on a mission or something and try to escape. Or you could've died from the seizures or the blood they would give you. They wouldn't know how to help you!" Dean paced across the porch, running his hand through his hair and refusing to look at him. "We would've lost you," Dean finally whispered.

His mouth had popped open slightly as Dean kept going, but he had no idea what to say. "I'm sorry," he finally breathed out.

Dean took a deep breath, and then said, his voice soft, "No Alec, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you. I just want you to know I don't regret not taking you to the hospital." He swallowed hard and nodded, but he didn't say anything. "Do you wanna go inside to eat?" Dean asked, but he shook his head no. "Do you want _me_ to go inside?" Dean asked, cocking his head to the side to try to catch his eyes.

"No," Alec said. He looked up and silently begged his brother to stay with him.

Dean nodded and sat in the chair Sam had been sitting in earlier. It was quiet for a few minutes before Dean said, "Rocky got all the dents out of my Baby today. Maybe in a few days we can get ya set up over by the car so you can help me fix her."

"Really?" Alec asked hopefully.

Dean smiled and nodded again, "Yeah, Sam's a crap mechanic and I'm afraid Rocky might bust a hole in her next time."

He chuckled, "Rocky doesn't know his own strength sometimes."

"So, you in?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I'm in," Alec replied without any hesitation.

"Hey, you're finally awake," Sam teased, walking over with a bowl in his hand.

"I'd still be asleep if it hadn't started raining," Alec mumbled. Sam handed him the oatmeal and he gratefully took it. The grilled cheese hadn't turned out so great, but this was a whole lot better than soup.

"How is it?" Dean asked after he took his first bite.

"This is the best oatmeal I've ever had," Alec said truthfully. Sam and Dean both laughed, making him smile; things finally might be getting back to normal. Which was fine with him. He wanted to stick around and be with his family.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	20. Chapter 20

"Dean…"

He ignored his brother and turned so he could press his face against his pillow…well, Alec's pillow. His little brother was doing a lot better, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that he would lose him if got too far away from him. Alec still told him to go away sometimes, but not when he was ready to sleep. Alec always slept better with someone around, and it was easier for him to get help if he needed it when someone was next to him.

"Dean…" Sam said again.

He turned even further away, but then Alec groaned and mumbled, "Dean…get off…you're on my arm…"

"Sorry…" Dean grumbled, moving to free Alec's arm.

Unfortunately, Sam took this opportunity as his opening to get his attention. "Dean, I need to talk to you."

"What?" Dean growled, finally facing his brother.

"I need to talk to you," Sam repeated. His gaze shifted to Alec, so whatever it was, he didn't want their little brother to know.

He sighed, but then asked Alec, "You good?"

"Go away…" Alec mumbled with a frown. "You're too loud."

He chuckled and messed up Alec's hair before he slowly got up from the hospital bed. He followed Sam to the kitchen, and then out the back door. He shook his head in amusement as Sam kept walking even though they were far enough away that Alec couldn't hear them, but Sam must think whatever it was would interest their brother enough to wake him up.

"Sam, knock it off. I'm tired and we're too far for Alec to hear. What is it?" Dean asked when he was finally tired of walking.

"Ellen called," Sam said. Dean rolled his eyes; of course Ellen called. She had left yesterday with Jo and Garth and already she was freaking out over Alec. Bear had called the day before since their group had to leave to help with the food crisis, and Jody still checked in every night just to make sure Alec was ok. Only Rufus, Henriksen, and Mills had been able to stick around, but it was nice to have more space in the house again.

"You told her he was fine, right?" Dean asked. "Because he's doing better and he's ok that most people left. Actually, he might be happier now without all the attention."

"No Dean, listen," Sam said. "She called and said Gordon broke out of prison."

"What?" Dean asked with a frown. "Seriously? Gordon?"

"Yeah, Dean, which means we need to hit the road," Sam said.

He immediately shook his head no, "No. No way. Alec can't travel yet, so we aren't going anywhere."

"Dean, _we_ have to leave. Me and you. Or, actually just me really. I can draw him away and you can stay here and-"

"Sam, slow down. Gordon didn't break out of jail just to come after us," Dean said.

"Really? Because last I checked, we were the ones that put him _in_ jail, which makes us a pretty good target now that he's out," Sam argued. "Which means we need to get as far away from Alec as possible. He's too injured right now to be anywhere close to Gordon. The guy's a psychopath, and I don't want him anywhere near Alec!"

"Relax, Sam," Dean breathed out. He completely agreed with his brother; he didn't want Alec anywhere near Gordon, but he was not willing to leave Alec, and he wasn't willing to let Sam face Gordon on his own. "Let's just calm down, ok? I'm not leaving Alec here by himself and you're not facing off against Gordon by yourself, so just forget about that right now."

"Dean, Alec won't be by himself. Bobby will be here, and so will Rufus and Mills. So me and you can lead Gordon away from here and take care of this," Sam said.

"No," Dean said. "Let's just send someone else after Gordon. Why does it have to be us? Huh? Our little brother is hurt right now and half of the hunter community knows it, so this doesn't fall on us. Someone else can deal with him."

"You're right. Half of the hunter community knows about Alec and knows he's hurt. If Gordon catches wind that we have a little brother, a little brother who's hurt, then he's going to come straight here. I'm not letting anyone get near Alec," Sam said. "Especially Gordon, the guy who kidnapped you and tied you to a chair just so he could try to kill me. I'm not letting him get close to Alec."

"Which is why we need to stay," Dean said. "Alec needs us around to protect him right now. If we bail, he's gonna freak out, and you know it."

"Dean, we can't just ignore this!" Sam yelled.

"Calm down, Sam," Dean grumbled. "Let's just think about this, ok? Let's go inside and talk to Bobby and see what he thinks. Besides, Alec's probably going to _actually_ wake up and wonder where we went. It's going to be hard to keep him out of this if we're not around. He'll start to get suspicious and then the questions will start flying…"

"Ok, you're right," Sam placated. "Let's go inside and talk to Bobby."

"And you know what? We still have the FBI here…I'm guessing Henriksen wouldn't mind checking some things out for us…" Dean said.

Sam nodded, "I didn't even think about that."

"See? So, no reason to freak out yet," Dean said. "Let's just go back inside, relax a little bit, and think about this."

"Yeah…ok," Sam said.

"C'mon," Dean said, clapping Sam on the shoulder. "Alec's gonna wake up in a few seconds…"

"He's probably already awake," Sam argued.

"Then we should hurry up so he doesn't get any bright ideas to come out here," Dean said with a smirk. He slapped Sam's chest with the back of his hand, and smiled when his brother chuckled.

* * *

"That was a pretty long conversation for it being 'nothing'," Alec quipped. He'd asked Dean what that had been about, and his reply was 'nothing', just like he expected it to be. He'd forced himself to wake up once he figured out Dean was gone. He'd been grumpy that Dean had rolled over on him, but then his curiosity had spiked once he figured out Sam had come to get Dean so they could have a secret conversation.

His mind was running wild with the things they could have been talking about. At the top of his list was a hunt that they wanted to go on, but they were afraid to leave him here. He didn't really want them to go, but he couldn't force them to stay here. He just needed to figure out how to get them to go, but still promise to come back for him without sounding completely pathetic.

"It really was nothing," Dean said, pulling the covers back and sitting on his bed again. He knew Dean was still freaked out that he'd almost died, so he hadn't brought up the fact that Dean would rarely leave his side. Besides, he still needed a lot of help with just about everything, so it worked that Dean wouldn't go too far. "Sam's just got his boxers in a twist."

"About…" Alec prodded.

"Oh you know, Bobby bought the wrong rabbit food," Dean played off, scooting him over so he could lay down again.

"Dean, I won't freak out if you tell me," Alec said. He kept his eyes away from his brother, afraid that he wouldn't trust him.

"Alec, just go back to sleep for now…I'll tell you later," Dean muttered.

"Is it a hunt?" Alec asked. "Because if it is, I'll be ok if you guys wanna go…" Dean sighed, so he quickly said, "I promise I won't move. I won't try to figure out where you guys are, I'll listen to Bobby and Mills and do what they tell me, I won't overdo it, and I'll try my best to keep my worrying down to a minimum. You guys don't have to just sit around with me. I'll be ok for a few days…just, um, just make sure you guys come back…that's all."

"Alec, it's not a hunt," Dean said.

"Ok, then what was the secret talk all about?" Alec asked. "If it's not a hunt, then what is it?"

"Alec, we're not leaving, ok? Not until your back on your feet," Dean said.

"Dean, that'll take weeks! My knee hasn't even started to heal! I'm not even on crutches yet!" Alec argued, weakly pushing himself up so he could face his brother. "This is going to take a while, and I don't want you guys waiting on me forever. I understand, ok? There are people out there who need help, monsters that need killing. I need some time to recover, but that doesn't mean you guys have to stay with me." It hurt to say it, but it was true. Sam and Dean shouldn't have to abandon everything just because he couldn't keep up. They could still hunt, and maybe they could swing by and pick him up again once he was upgraded to crutches and a real bed. He knew it would be a while, he wasn't even off the oxygen or the heart monitor yet, but he would rest and heal, and just hope his brothers came back for him.

"We're not going anywhere," Dean stated. "Now lay down and go back to sleep."

"Dean, I'm serious! I don't need you guys to watch over me 24/7 anymore. I'm fine. I've got a live-in doctor here if anything does happen. You don't have to stay. I don't want you to stay," Alec said. That last part wasn't supposed to slip out, but it did and now he couldn't take it back. He did want his brothers to stay, but not if there was something else to do. His brothers saved people and he couldn't be selfish right now. His brothers were heroes and he couldn't be in their way.

"What?" Dean breathed out.

He flinched seeing the hurt look in Dean's eyes, but he had to do this. His brothers would abandon everyone to stay with him, and that wasn't fair to ask them to do that. Sam and Dean saved people, and right now they weren't doing anything because of him. He just had to suck it up and let them go. "I said I don't want you to stay," Alec whispered. "Not if there's someone out there who needs help."

"Alec, you're my little brother, you matter more to me than some hunt," Dean said.

"But I'm fine," Alec said. "I'm stuck in this bed for a long time, so I think you need to go."

"Do you want me to go?" Dean asked softly.

Why did his brother have to make this harder than it was? Why did Sam have to bring up some secret conversation? Why couldn't his knee just start to heal so he could go with them? None of it mattered though, so with his head down, he whispered, "Yeah…"

Dean didn't answer, but he did move away from him. He got up from the bed and walked into the kitchen.

He collapsed against his pillows and tried to force himself to accept that this was the right thing to do.

* * *

"What's wrong?" Sam asked as soon as his brother walked into the kitchen. "Is Alec mad? I didn't want to keep this from him, but you and I both know he'd talk his way into this as soon as he found out."

"He wants us to leave," Dean said, his voice flat. "Pack your shit. We'll go find Gordon."

"What? Dean, what's going on? What happened?" Sam asked. Just a few minutes ago Dean was completely refusing to ever leave Alec, and now they were leaving right this second. "I thought we were going to get Henriksen on this…"

"Alec, doesn't want us here," Dean said. "So, pack up. We'll take one of Bobby's cars and we'll start looking. I'll tell Henriksen before we go."

"Dean-"

"We leave in five, so get your ass in gear," Dean ordered, leaving the room.

He immediately got up and ran to the living room to see if he could figure out what happened from Alec, but his little brother was asleep when he got there. He was probably faking, but part of him didn't want to know what happened. He didn't want to hear Alec tell him to go away too.

He quickly left the living room, and went looking for Bobby instead. He knew Dean would leave him here if he didn't hurry up, but he had to make sure someone would watch out for Alec while they were gone. He found the older hunter in the study, with his feet propped up on his desk and his hat pulled down over his eyes.

"Bobby…" Sam whispered, trying to get his attention, but at the same time trying not wake him up. It was stupid, but he knew Bobby would tear him a new one for waking him up.

"Just spill," Bobby grumbled without moving. "I already heard some yellin', so go ahead and tell me."

"Me and Dean are leaving," Sam said. Bobby instantly sat up and adjusted his hat so he could see him. He knew a lecture was coming his way, so he spoke before Bobby could. "Gordon broke out of prison and he's probably coming after me and Dean. So, we're leaving."

"And Alec?" Bobby asked shortly.

"He's staying here," Sam said. "Look Bobby, I only have like three minutes left before Dean takes off…will you just look out for Alec for me, please?"

"Sam-"

"I'm not joking, Bobby, I've gotta go," Sam said. "Tell Alec I'll call him once I know where we're going."

"Sam!" Bobby called after him, but he was already moving. He knew Dean wouldn't wait for him, but he needed to be there for Dean. Whatever had happened, his brother wasn't thinking straight. He had to be with him or else he was going to do something reckless and stupid.

"Just tell him," Sam called back.

* * *

"Dean, slow down. We're not going to find Gordon in one day," Sam said. "We need to pace ourselves, maybe call Alec, and let him know what's going on…check in with him…"

"No Sam," Dean said. He didn't want to talk, he just wanted to drive. He wanted to get away from Bobby's, away from hearing Alec saying he didn't want him there anymore. He knew he was being childish, but he might as well do what Alec wanted. He was the reason Alec was hurt, so the least he could do was give his brother some space.

"Whatever happened, Alec still wants us to come back," Sam said. "He's probably expecting us back in a few days, so we at least need to call him to keep him updated."

"Sam, just shut up, ok? I don't want to talk," Dean grumbled.

"Alec's expecting us back," Sam said. "I know he didn't mean whatever he said, ok? I don't know what happened, but whatever it was it'll be fine in a few days."

"He doesn't want us there, Sam! He wants us to go," Dean shouted.

Sam shook his head no, "I don't buy it. Alec hates being alone even more than you do." He glared at his brother from across the seat, and saw that Sam instantly regretted saying that. "Dean, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." He didn't answer, but instead looked back at the road, keeping his eyes there and getting ready to ignore his brother for the rest of their trip. "Dean, talk to me. Just tell me what's going on."

"I already told you Sam! And we're looking for Gordon, just like you wanted," Dean spat.

"I'm calling Alec," Sam said, pulling his phone from his pocket. He grabbed Sam's phone as soon as it was out of his pocket and threw it out the window. He saw it bounce once in the mirror before it kind of exploded into little pieces. "What the Hell Dean!" Sam yelled.

"He doesn't want to talk to us," Dean muttered.

"I wanted to talk to him!" Sam said angrily.

Sam crossed his arms and looked out the passenger side window. Good, at least now they wouldn't have to talk.

* * *

"You wanna talk about it?" Bobby asked.

He turned away as far as he could and tried to ignore him. He didn't want to talk about it, so he wasn't going to. "Nope," Alec said.

"Alright…you want something to eat?" Bobby asked.

He took a semi-deep breath and let it out in a huff, "No Bobby, I don't want anything."

"You know they left, right?" Bobby asked.

"I know," Alec said. "I told them to." Bobby's eyebrows rose in a silent question, so he said, "There was a hunt or something and they weren't gonna go unless I told them to. They don't need to be here anyway…It's not like I'm going to improve anytime soon."

"No," Bobby said slowly, sitting down next to his hip. "You're not gonna improve for a while, but they don't care about that. They just want to make sure you're ok. They don't need you to be a super-soldier, they just want to be around you and make sure you're ok."

"Yeah? And how many people are dying right now because they're waiting for me to get better?" Alec asked. "Sam and Dean save people and I can't be the reason more people die, I just can't, ok? It's better for everyone if they get back on the job and do something instead of just sitting around with me."

"You and I both know they ain't just _sittin'_ around with you," Bobby grumbled. "I know you don't like to hear it, but you're down right now, you need help. And Sam and Dean can help you a lot more than I can. In case you haven't noticed, I ain't exactly in my prime anymore, so who d'you think is gonna carry your ass to the bathroom? Huh?"

"Henriksen and Mills can help if you're too old and frail," Alec replied.

"Henriksen's not here anymore either," Bobby said.

"Where'd he go?" Alec asked back. He must've been asleep when he left. It was weird he didn't say goodbye, but his brothers didn't either. Maybe everyone was just trying to avoid him now. He wouldn't blame them. He pushed his brothers away and now everyone was going to stay away.

"There's a guy who broke out of prison and Sam and Dean thinks he's gonna come after them," Bobby said. "Henriksen's gonna try and find him first, but Sam and Dean are gonna try to lead him away from here."

He sat up, ignored the pain that shot through him at his movement, and asked, "They aren't going on a hunt?"

"Nope," Bobby said. "Gonna try to track down the guy that's tryin' to kill them. No big deal though."

"He's trying to kill them?!" Alec asked. He felt so stupid; he should have known they weren't going on a hunt. He started to get out of bed, but Bobby immediately pulled him back down.

"Guess it wouldn't make ya feel better to hear that he kidnapped Dean, tied him to a chair, and tried to blow Sam up…" Bobby muttered.

He immediately moved again, and this time Bobby helped him stand up. "I need a phone…where's my phone?" Alec asked, his voice slightly breathless from moving.

"Why d'you need a phone?" Bobby asked, taking on more of his weight as he sagged against him.

"I gotta call 'em…get 'em to come back," Alec breathed out. "I thought they were going on a hunt…I didn't think they were lookin' for some guy that was trying to kill them…"

"Hold up, don't move too far," Bobby said, reaching for the wires attached to his chest. "You're not gonna get very far with all this still on." He gasped as pain shot through him again and held his side. "Alright, you just lay back down, and I'll find your phone." Bobby reattached his wires and helped him back on the bed.

Bobby left, and he immediately started shaking. He couldn't believe he'd told Dean to go. How could he be so stupid?! He should have known it wasn't just a normal hunt. And he'd told his big brother to leave. All Dean wanted to do was try to take care of him while he was hurt, and to repay him, he'd made sure his big brother would leave and wouldn't come back.

What if Dean didn't come back?! He'd told him to go, and he got what he wanted, but he didn't want this. He didn't know what he would do without his brothers. He didn't have anywhere to go. Well, he did, but he didn't want to go to the Valley without his brothers. He didn't want to go anywhere without his brothers.

He felt terrible for doing this. Why couldn't he do just one thing right? He had a family, and now that he accepted that he had a family, the first thing he did was push them away. There was something seriously wrong with him. He just couldn't let himself be happy and now his brothers were gone and he wouldn't blame them if they never came back. He wasn't worth it. He hadn't been grateful for their help and he'd told them to go away.

"Alec? Alec?!" Mills yelled. He sounded really far away, but he could see him running towards him. His bed was suddenly laid flat, the nasal cannula was removed and the oxygen mask covered his nose and mouth again, and he heard his heart monitor going crazy. "Alec, can you hear me? C'mon Alec, I need you to focus or else I'm going to give you a sedative."

He didn't care. His brothers were gone and it was his fault.

"Bobby!" Mills yelled, but his voice sounded muffled and the room seemed to be getting darker. "Ok Alec, I'm just going to give you a mild sedative to help you calm down," Mills soothed.

His vision was going black, and he knew the sedative was working. He didn't fight for consciousness; he told his brother to go, and he listened. He just didn't care anymore.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	21. Chapter 21

"You get through to him?" Bobby asked him, sitting by him again. He didn't look up, just shook his head no. He messed up and now Sam and Dean were ignoring his calls. He didn't blame them, he wouldn't want to talk to him either after what he'd said, but it hurt just the same.

Mills had sedated him when he'd had his panic attack, and he'd managed to calm down, but he was feeling the panic rising again. It felt like he couldn't breathe. He'd told his brothers to go, and now they were gone.

"Did you leave a message?" Bobby gently asked. "Dean will call you back if you leave a message…" He shook his head no again, refusing to actually speak. "You want me to call him? I'll leave him a message. That'll get his head outta his ass."

He shrugged; he didn't care what Bobby did. Sam and Dean were gone. They were looking for some crazy guy who wanted to kill them, and they weren't coming back. Why would they come back? He wasn't grateful for their help and he'd told his brother he wanted him to go.

"Alec, they're gonna come back," Bobby whispered. "They aren't just gonna leave you here."

"It doesn't matter," Alec finally breathed out. "I've been alone before…I can do it again."

"Alec-"

"I'm pretty tired…Can you turn out the lights, please?" Alec asked. He tossed his phone to the sofa, so it was well out of reach and pulled his blankets up. He closed his eyes, and Bobby slowly got up and turned off the lights for him.

* * *

"Where're you going?" Sam asked. Dean had dropped his bag and was already heading for the door. His brother hadn't said a word since he'd thrown his phone out the window and now he didn't even want to be in the same room with him.

"Out," Dean muttered, refusing to stop to talk to him.

"Dean-"

But he was cut off by the door slamming shut. He knew Dean didn't want him to follow him, and he would just make things worse if he did, but he knew Dean was going to go to the bar and he was probably going to start up a fight with the biggest guy he could find. He _was_ going to follow him, but first he was going to try and call Alec. He knew his little brother was probably freaking out, and he needed to reassure him that everything was going to be fine. They were going to come back just as soon as they found Gordon.

He walked over to the phone that was in their room and dialed Alec's number as fast as he could. His heart pounded as he waited for his little brother to answer, and was disappointed when he heard his voicemail. His little brother still managed to put a smile on his face though when he heard, _'This is Alec, hopefully you know what to do. If not…I can't help you.'_ The phone beeped so he said, "Hey Alec, it's Sam…Hopefully you're just sleeping and not ignoring me right now. Dean threw my phone out the window because he's pissed, but that doesn't mean we aren't coming back. We are, Alec, I promise. Whatever happened…we can fix this. Just call me back when you wake up, ok? Alright…um, bye."

He hung up the phone and was just about to follow after his brother, but he stopped and dialed one of Bobby's numbers instead.

"Yeah?" Bobby asked after a couple rings.

"Hey Bobby, it's Sam," he said. "How's Alec?"

"How's Alec?! Are you serious?" Bobby growled.

"Bobby-"

"I'll tell you how Alec is. He had a panic attack. He couldn't breathe so Mills had to sedate him. He's tried calling you and Dean, but you're ignoring him, which is making things worse. He's closing himself off. I don't know how to get through to him and neither does Mills. So you better get your ass back here now before he goes and disappears on us, hurt knee or not," Bobby said. His voice was low with barely contained anger, and he was surprised Bobby wasn't just yelling at him. Alec must actually be asleep since Bobby was trying not to yell.

"Dean threw my phone out the window," Sam tried to defend himself. "And we just now stopped, so this was the first chance I had to call him. I called him first, by the way, but he let it go to voicemail."

"Have you forgotten the shape your brother's in?!" Bobby yelled. It was quiet for a second, and then Bobby hissed, "He's hurt. The longest he's been awake at one time is four hours. That's his record in case you forgot. He's asleep right now, _and_ he tossed his phone on the sofa so he wouldn't be tempted to call you again. So, even if he was awake, he wouldn't be able to get to his phone when it went off. His knee is damaged. We don't even know if he's gonna be able to walk again without using crutches. And his chest is still hurting, he can hardly take a decent breath, and he's still on oxygen. I don't care what happened between the three of you, but this is not the way to handle it. What little progress he's made is gonna completely disappear if you two don't get back here."

"Bobby, Gordon's out here and he wants to kill us. It's better for Alec if we take off for a little while and lead him away-"

"No Sam," Bobby cut off. "It was better for Alec to have his brothers here with him. What do you think's gonna happen if Gordon catches wind that your little brother even exists? I'll tell you what, he's gonna come straight here and try to take out your little brother. And he's only got me and Rufus as protection. We're good, but we aren't you and Dean."

"I'll talk to Dean," Sam whispered. He didn't want to be away from Alec, but he didn't have a choice right now. He'd just have to try to find Dean and convince him that Alec needed them. "I'll call again in a little while," he said before he hung up. He dropped the phone back in its place before he walked out the door.

* * *

His head was swimming, his side hurt, and he couldn't even walk without his little brother's help. Sam had found him getting his ass kicked, and had taken out the guys who were beating him up like it was nothing. He wanted to feel embarrassed that Sam had taken down those guys so easily, but he just didn't care.

"Just a little further, Dean," Sam said, dragging him into their room. "What the Hell were you thinking?" Sam asked to try and keep him conscious. He knew his brother already knew the answer, so he didn't bother saying anything. "Dean, talk to me man. You can't just go pick a fight in a bar because you're pissed. You weren't even fighting back!"

"I'm fine, Sam," Dean mumbled. He just wanted to sleep; he didn't think about what was going on.

"You're not fine," Sam argued. "And guess what, Alec's not fine either. I called Bobby and he told me Alec had a panic attack after we left."

"Is he ok?" Dean asked in concern.

"I don't know, I didn't get to talk to him. Bobby said he was asleep again," Sam said. His brother got him onto one of the beds and said, "Stay here, I'll get the first aid kit…" Sam left the room, but came back a few seconds later. "Ok, let me just clean up some of these cuts, and then I'll get you some ice."

"Sam…call Bobby again," Dean said. He wouldn't be able to breathe until he knew for sure that Alec was ok. But that was stupid because he knew Alec wasn't ok. His little brother was hurt and he'd just left him. He knew Alec didn't mean what he'd said, and he still left.

Sam nodded and picked up the motel room phone, dialing Bobby's number. "Hey Bobby…is Alec awake yet?" Sam looked at him and shook his head no. "No…I'll call again in a little while." He hung up and said, "Alec's still asleep…Y'know, I could drive and we could be back there by tomorrow night."

"What about Gordon?" Dean asked.

"Maybe we jumped the gun a little bit," Sam said. "It might be safer for Alec if we stick around instead of leading the danger away…"

"You think Gordon's gonna go to Bobby's?" Dean asked.

"I don't know…I don't know what's going to happen," Sam said, running his hand through his hair. "I don't know if it's better for Alec if we go back, but this doesn't feel right. I mean…we don't even let him go by himself on hunts if we can help it. I know we're overprotective, and I know he can take care of himself, but…we're a family and we're supposed to stick together."

He nodded; his brother was right, and he shouldn't have left. He should've stayed and told Alec to shut up and get over it because they weren't going to leave. "Help me up," Dean demanded.

"Dean-"

"We're goin' back to Bobby's," Dean said.

"Dean, at least let me get you patched up," Sam said. "Alec's gonna freak if you walk in lookin' like this."

"Fine, but hurry up," Dean said. "I wanna get back before Alec decides to do something stupid."

Sam chuckled and nodded, but then said, "I'm still driving."

* * *

He startled awake and scanned the dark room to try and figure out what had woken him up. He didn't see anything at first, but then someone appeared in the shadows. It was a man, but he'd never seen this guy before, and it was disturbing to know he'd made it into the house without anyone knowing.

"Who the Hell are you?" Alec asked, putting as much strength as he could into his voice. He still sounded weak, but that wasn't going to stop him from defending himself if he needed to. A small part of him thought this could be another hunter he didn't know coming to see Bobby, but his instincts were telling him this guy was bad news.

"I could ask you the same thing," the man said. His voice was low and deep, and he remained in the shadows so he couldn't get a good look at his face. "I've heard rumors about you, but I'm not so sure I believe them…"

"What kind of rumors?" Alec asked, shifting so he could sit up slightly in his bed. He wished he had some kind of weapon on him or even close to him, but he didn't.

"I've heard you're not entirely human…" the man said. "That you can easily take down a man with your bare hands. But, looking at you now, I don't think it's true."

"You'd be surprised," Alec said, praying the man didn't call his bluff. He could barely sit up without pain spiking through him; he wasn't going to last long in a fight. He didn't know where Bobby or Rufus were, but they weren't here. He hoped they were both ok…

"Where's Sam and Dean?" The man asked.

He shrugged, "I don't know. They took off a while ago and haven't called since." He was really glad he told them to go now. At least they would still be safe if this took a turn.

The man walked further into the room, but it didn't make him feel any better to see his face. "Then I guess you're just going to have to call them to get them back here…"

"They won't answer," Alec said. "We didn't exactly part on the best of terms…"

"We'll try it anyway," the man said, walking over to him. He focused on his heartbeat to keep it under control. He was still connected to the heart monitor and he didn't want this guy to know what he was thinking and feeling. The man spotted his phone that was on the sofa and picked it up, bringing it over to him. The man suddenly smiled as his phone started to go off with an incoming call. "Well, look who it is…" He held his phone so he could see it, and saw 'Dean' at the top of the screen. "Answer it."

He clenched his jaw, but took his phone from the guy. "Hey…"

"Hey, you're awake," Dean said in surprise.

"Yeah, but I'm still not feelin' so great," Alec quickly cut off. "I'll call you ba-" He took in a sharp breath of pain when the man put pressure on his hurt knee.

"Alec? You ok?" Dean asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Alec breathed out. "Henriksen called. He said he spotted the guy out in California," he said as fast as he could. "Bye-" He cried out in pain before he could hang up, and he dropped his phone without meaning to. He reached for his knee, but the man pushed him back and grabbed the phone, putting Dean on speaker.

"Alec! Can you hear me, kiddo? What's wrong?" Dean asked.

He was shaking from the pain, but he still managed to glare at the guy. "Dean…it's been a while," the man said with a small, sick smile.

"Gordon…" Dean breathed out, but then he yelled, "You son of a bitch! Leave him alone!"

"Y'know…I was really looking for you and Sam, but I guess this will work for my revenge," Gordon said. "Wasn't a big fan of prison…"

"Gordon, we're already on our way back. We'll be there by tonight. Just leave Alec alone and you can get whatever revenge on me and Sam," Dean said. "Just…please, please leave Alec alone."

"Dean, I'm alright, don't come here. I can handle-" He cried out again and tried to get away from the man who was pressing against his knee.

"Better get here soon…" Gordon said.

* * *

He was old, but he wasn't dead. He could hear Alec's cry of pain from his room upstairs, and he instantly ran to go help the kid, but he froze when he heard another voice. "Balls…" He snuck down the hall and opened the door to the room Rufus was staying in. He smiled when he saw his friend loading a shotgun.

"Who?" Rufus breathed, trying to not make a sound.

"Gordon," Bobby replied.

"We takin' him out?" Rufus asked.

"He's hurtin' my boy," Bobby said. "'Course we're takin' him out."

Rufus smiled and nodded for him to lead the way. He grabbed one of his guns that he had stashed in the hall and slowly started for the stairs. He could hear Alec's rapid heartbeat from the stairs thanks to the heart monitor, so they still had some time.

"Who else is in here?" Gordon asked.

"No one," Alec replied, his voice weak.

"Really?" Gordon asked in disbelief. "You think I'm going to believe that?" He heard Alec's tortured groan, and then Gordon said, "I'm not asking again."

"Bite me," Alec growled.

He and Rufus split up to try and catch Gordon by surprise, but he froze when he heard a surprised grunt of pain. He shook himself out of it and ran into the living room, but he was surprised to see Alec had Gordon in a chokehold, and both of them fell to the ground in a tangle of limbs and wires. He tried to get a clean shot, but he was afraid he was going to hit Alec. Gordon wasn't going down easy, and was doing all he could to get the upper-hand.

It happened so fast, there was nothing he could do to stop it. Gordon managed to slam his elbow into Alec's side, making his breath leave him in a whoosh. He easily broke Alec's hold, and then grabbed his knee, making his boy cry out in pain. Gordon turned and punched Alec before he hauled him up and held him in front of himself as a human shield.

"Drop your guns," Gordon calmly ordered. Alec was barely conscious, he didn't have a shot, and neither did Rufus. They were going to have to figure out something else.

"Balls…" He growled, dropping his gun.

* * *

"You see anything?" Sam asked, his voice coming through his phone.

"I just got up here," Dean grumbled. "Give me a second…" He lay on his stomach on the roof of the teetering pile of cars and lined up his rifle, looking through the scope to see if he could get a shot at Gordon from there. It took him a second to find the house through the scope, but then it was pretty easy to find the window to the living room once he had everything lined up.

"Dean…" Sam said impatiently.

"I'm looking…hold on," Dean said. "Dammit…he's got Bobby and Rufus too."

"What?"

"They're tied to two chairs, back to back," Dean said. It looked like their wrists were tied behind their backs and their legs were tied to the chairs. "I don't see Alec or Gordon…" Alec wasn't in the hospital bed, but he didn't see him anywhere else either. That didn't mean he wasn't there, but he would've liked to know for sure that he was still ok.

"Any sign of a trap?" Sam asked.

"Like I could see that from here," Dean said sarcastically. "Last time he rigged it so you would blow up when you walked in. I'm assuming he's doing the same thing again."

"Unless he wants to kill us face to face this time," Sam said.

"You really think he's planning taking us both on at the same time? C'mon Sam, he knows we're pissed. He's not gonna let his need for revenge get in the way of surviving," Dean said.

"Then what are we going to do?" Sam asked impatiently. "He's got Alec."

"I'm comin' back down. Meet me by the shed," Dean said.

"Copy," Sam muttered, hanging up.

He carefully made his way back down the pile of cars, and then jogged over to the shed. The only thing he wanted to do was break into Bobby's house and take Gordon down once and for all, but he knew he couldn't do that without risking Alec.

"So what's the plan?" Sam asked, running up to him.

"I'm working on it…" Dean said.

"Dean…"

"Alright, alright…I got an idea," Dean said.

"What is it?" Sam asked

"You're not gonna like it…"

"Is it going to get us in there?" Sam asked.

"Yes," Dean said with a small nod.

"Then let's do it."

* * *

An argument could be made that he was just building up his strength, waiting for the perfect time to strike. But honestly, he didn't have anything left. He'd been off of the oxygen for too long. He thought he'd been getting better, but he hadn't realized how much he needed the extra oxygen. It hadn't helped getting hit in the side.

His rapid heartbeat still filled the room; the electrodes were still attached to his chest even though the nasal cannula had come off during his brief fight.

"Alec, hang in there, kid," Rufus said, looking over at him again. Rufus's attention had been going back and forth from him to Gordon, checking on him, and then making sure Gordon wasn't trying to make a move against them.

"Gordon, he needs to be on oxygen," Bobby said. "And in the bed. He shouldn't be sitting on the floor like that."

Gordon ignored him like he had the last three times Bobby had told him that. He tried to move so he could either lie flat on the floor or at least get his hurt knee stretched out a little, but he couldn't. He could barely breathe, so he definitely couldn't move. So, he remained in his slouched position, leaning against the sofa, but unable to get more comfortable.

"Alec, hold on a little bit longer," Bobby urged. "We'll get you back on oxygen here in just a little bit."

He nodded and took in a staggered breath. He hurt so bad, but he knew his brothers would be there soon. He just had to hold on until they could get there.

He looked up when the house suddenly shook, and there was a crash in another room. Gordon looked at the three of them before he disappeared, heading for whatever just crashed into the house.

"You free?" Rufus asked Bobby.

"Almost…"

* * *

He watched as Gordon ran into the room, scanning the wreckage for them. He hated that he had wrecked his Baby into the side of Bobby's house, but this definitely drew Gordon's attention away from Alec. Bobby was going to be pissed, but he would deal with that later.

He nodded to Sam, and stood up so Gordon would focus on him while his brother slipped away.

"Whoops," Dean said with a smirk as soon as Gordon looked his way. "I guess I shouldn't have had that extra beer…"

Gordon looked around and asked, "Where's Sam?"

"He bailed," Dean said with a shrug. "Guess it's just us."

"You kinda ruined my surprise…" Gordon said, moving closer to him.

"I figured you rigged something to blow up," Dean said. "Thought this was better."

Gordon moved to attack, but he was ready for him. He blocked Gordon's punch and quickly threw one of his own. He was still hurting from the fight in the bar, but all he had to do was hold Gordon off long enough for Sam to get back. He could do that.

* * *

Sam ran into the living room, but stopped when he saw Bobby and Rufus carefully picking Alec up off the floor. His little brother was way too pale and his breathing sounded horrible, not to mention the fact that he was barely conscious. But he was still conscious, so that was good.

"Alec," Sam said.

His little brother looked up and gave him a small, relieved smile. "Hey Sammy…"

"Sam, where's Dean?" Bobby asked.

"He's distracting Gordon so I could free you two and find Alec," Sam said.

"We've got Alec," Bobby reassured. "You go help Dean."

He looked to Alec to make sure he was going to be ok, and his little brother nodded. "Go…I'm alright…"

"I'll be right back, ok?" Sam asked.

Alec nodded again, so he took off again. He had to get back to Dean and take care of Gordon before anything else could happen. He ran in just in time to see Dean take a hard hit to his jaw. His brother instantly hit back, making Gordon take a few steps back.

He grabbed Gordon to try to restrain him, but he took an elbow to his nose, causing him to let go. His eyes were watering and blood was running from his nose, but he still saw Gordon grab Dean and toss him towards the Impala. The windshield cracked from Dean's weight and his brother didn't push himself back up.

Gordon turned back to him and started for him, but he was done with this. Gordon had hurt his little brother and his big brother. He pulled his gun, forcing Gordon to freeze. But Gordon smiled at him and reached back for where he assumed his gun was stashed. Gordon frowned though, finding his gun wasn't there anymore.

There was a tinkle of glass falling to the ground as Dean slowly pushed himself up. Dean held up Gordon's gun with a proud smirk. "Guess you're outta moves…" Dean said.

"Bobby, call Henriksen and get him back here," Sam called out. He looked back to Gordon and said, "You're going back to jail. You're gonna stay there and if you ever come after us again, we will kill you."

"Pretty sure you're gonna get upgraded to super-max, so good luck breaking out of that one," Dean said.

He smiled over at his brother; somehow their plan had worked. Bobby was going to be mad about his house, but they'd help him fix it later.

* * *

He sagged in relief once Henriksen cuffed Gordon and took him away. He was hurting and all he wanted to do was check on Alec and go to sleep. Sam had already gone to get cleaned up since blood was gushing from his nose, but he hadn't moved until Gordon was gone.

"So, crashing through my house, that was your big plan…" Bobby said, slowly walking into the room.

"Did you find the trip wires?" Dean asked instead of answering.

"I wasn't born yesterday, kid," Bobby said. "C'mon, let's get you cleaned up. Alec's askin' about you…"

"He ok?" Dean asked. He'd wanted to check on him earlier, but he couldn't leave. Sam had told him that Alec was doing a little better, he was back on oxygen, and his breathing was a little better, but he hadn't been able to stay awake for long. He was kind of surprised to hear that he was awake.

"All things considered…he could be worse," Bobby hedged.

He brushed by Bobby and walked to the living room to find Sam sitting next to Alec, who was actually asleep again. Sam looked up when he walked in, and then immediately looked to Alec to see if he was awake. "He must've just fallen asleep again," Sam said. "He was trying to stay awake."

"Did Mills already check him over?" Dean asked. Bobby had called Mills as soon as they'd gotten the upper hand on Gordon. That had made his heart drop, thinking Alec was worse than they were letting on, but Sam had reassured him that their little brother was ok, that Mills was just a precaution.

"Yeah, said he's ok, but he's going to keep him on the oxygen mask for a day or two and we're icing his knee again," Sam said. "How're you feeling?"

"Sore…" Dean admitted, walking over to the sofa and sitting down. He really just wanted to stretch out and sleep for a week, but he knew his brother, and he knew he wasn't just going to let him sleep.

"You probably have a concussion," Sam said. "Let me go get Mills before you fall asleep…"

Sam immediately got up to go find Mills, but he stopped him before he could get far. "Sam, just chill, ok? I've had concussions before and this one isn't too bad," Dean said. "I'm not bleeding anywhere, I just hurt."

"At least let me get you some painkillers," Sam said. "We've got some pretty good ones now thanks to Alec, and he's not taking them, so they might as well get used, right?"

"Alright Sammy, I'll take some painkillers," Dean said, knowing it was just easier to accept some help from his brother so he would stop. Besides, he'd actually sleep better if he took something.

Sam smiled and left the room to go get him some pills. He was about to lay back, but Alec suddenly gasped and tried to sit up. He jumped up and gently pushed against Alec's shoulder to get him back down. "Alec, easy, you're ok," Dean soothed.

"Dean?" Alec breathed. He could barely hear his little brother since he had the oxygen mask on, but he knew Alec, and he knew his little brother was disoriented and needed some reassurances.

"Hey kiddo," Dean said, brushing Alec's hair back from his forehead. "Everything's ok."

Alec's eyes widened in panic and he tried to get up again, but he wouldn't let him. "Dean…Gordon?" Alec asked, his heart monitor going crazy with his fear that Gordon was still around.

"Alec, it's ok. Gordon's gone," Dean reassured. "Henriksen just drove off with him." Alec finally relaxed, collapsing against his pillow and closing his eyes. "Hey, you ok?" Dean asked before Alec could fall asleep again.

Alec forced his eyes open again and nodded, "Yeah…you ok?"

"Yeah, Sammy's getting some painkillers," Dean said. He didn't add on that he hoped Sam just grabbed the whole bottle so Alec could take some painkillers too.

"Dean…I'm sorry," Alec whispered. "I shouldn't have said that. I didn't actually want you to go…"

Dean nodded in understanding and said, "I shouldn't have left. I just…" He ran his hand through his hair, uncomfortable with saying how he felt. How it hurt to be told to leave, and how the first thing he did was start a fight with the biggest group of guys he could find. "I won't do it again. I'll just tell you to shut up or punch you or something…"

Alec smiled, and even though it was a weak smile, it still made him feel better. "Good plan. 'Cause in case you hadn't noticed, I'm not so good at this family thing…"

He chuckled, but said, "I think you're startin' to get the hang of it." He looked to the door to see if Sam was coming back yet, but he wasn't. "Alright, scoot," he said, gently moving his little brother over so he could lay down. "So…how bad did that asshole hurt you?" He was kind of regretting not just shooting the bastard, but Sam had talked him into getting Henriksen involved.

"I was just off the oxygen for too long," Alec breathed out, leaning against his arm. "I'm alright…" They were both quiet for a few minutes, but then Alec asked, "How'd you get in the house?"

"Well…Bobby's got a new addition to the house now…" Dean muttered. "I drove the Impala into the side of the house."

"Seriously?" Alec asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Dean said with a smile. "Not sure how happy he is about it, but me and Sam will help him fix it tomorrow."

Alec leaned a little more against his arm and mumbled, "Thanks for coming back."

He smiled, feeling his chest loosen, "I'm not goin' anywhere Alec."

* * *

 _More soon..._


	22. Chapter 22

"Alec, you _have_ to move slower," Mills said with a sigh, reaching down to help him up again. "I'm not going to help you test out the crutches if you keep passing out on me."

"I'm alright," Alec breathed out. He let Mills help him up, and rest on the edge of the bed again. He just wanted to be able to get to the other room to show his brothers that he actually was getting better. He wanted to prove that he would be good to leave once they wanted to go. They said they weren't going anywhere without him, but he didn't want to chance it. He'd had a taste of being on his own again, and he wasn't good at it.

Which was why he kept passing out. Mills had finally agreed to help him use the crutches, but he couldn't stop trying to go too fast.

"I think we should take a break," Mills said. "Let you rest for a while, maybe break out the oxygen again…"

"No," Alec stated. "I don't need a break and I don't need the oxygen." He was down to just using oxygen when he was asleep, and thankfully he was off of the heart monitor, but sometimes he still needed a little extra help. But he didn't want to give up. Not yet.

"Then you have to move slower," Mills said. "If you pass out again, then we're done. I don't care if you want to impress your brothers, or whatever this is, but if it gets in the way of your health, then it's not worth it."

"I'm fine," Alec growled.

"I'm just telling you what's going to happen if you pass out again, that's all," Mills said.

Ok, he could work with that. He knew the rules, he knew his limitation, he could do this. "Ok, let's go again," Alec said.

"You have to go slow," Mills reminded. "Let me do as much of the work as possible, ok? And when you feel lightheaded, and yes, I mean when, you tell me so I can catch you this time if your legs give out."

"Alright, alright," Alec grumbled, waving the man off.

Mills took a deep breath, and then got his crutches back in place. "Go slow," Mills said again, sounding like a broken record.

He _slowly_ stood up, careful to keep his hurt leg comfortable and the crutches in place, but immediately he felt lightheaded. Mills must have known his tell because his hands supported his chest and back, but he wasn't eased back on the bed. Mills let him regroup, and he managed to open his eyes again after a few seconds.

"You ok?" Mills asked once he had some time to recover.

"Yeah…just needed a minute," Alec replied.

"Ok, remember, you need to go easy on your left wrist-"

"I know," Alec growled. He took a slow hop forward, and smiled when he managed to keep his balance.

"Ok, good start," Mills said, keeping his hand on his back as he paced him.

He took another hop forward and found it was a little easier this time. He felt a little pain in his wrist, but it was tolerable. He just had to make it to the other room, see his brothers, and then hop back to bed. He would rest again once he proved to them that he was getting better.

"Easy, easy," Mills said as he suddenly swayed, putting a little pressure on his chest and back to keep him steady. He took a deep breath, and stayed where he was for a few seconds to get his balance back. "You ok?" Mills asked.

"Yeah," he breathed out. "I just wanna make it to the other room, and then I'll go back to bed…"

"Alec, if you want to see your brothers, I can go get them," Mills suggested. "They're probably ready for a break anyway, and they're still worried about you."

"Please, I just want to go to the other room, and then I'll be done," Alec begged.

"Alright, well, better keep goin' then," Mills said.

He nodded and tightened his grip on his crutches. He could do this; it wasn't that far to the room that Sam, Dean, Bobby, and Rufus were working on the house. He could make it to the next room and surprise them that he was up and walking around. Maybe not on two legs, but with crutches and with minimal help, which was a big step for him.

It took at least ten minutes though to get from one room to the next, and he was exhausted once he got there, but it was worth it. Sam saw him first, and he immediately dropped the hammer he'd been using and ran over to him. Sam's movement caught Dean's attention, and he shut off the table saw and abandoned his work with a huge smile on his face.

"Look who finally woke up," Dean teased.

"Can't sleep with all this noise," Alec replied with a smirk.

Sam's hand replaced Mills' against his back as he worried, "Alec, do you need to sit down? How's your leg feel? And your wrist! Is your wrist ok?"

"I'm fine," Alec said with a laugh. "It's nice to stretch my legs…or, actually, leg."

Dean chuckled and ruffled his hair, "You wanna sit down? Hang out for a while?"

He smiled knowing his brother was trying to take care of him, but hide it at the same time. But it was nice to feel included even though he couldn't actually do anything. "Yeah, sure," he said. "I'd love to hang out for a while. Bet the sound of hammering is even better in here…"

Mills disappeared, and so did Dean once he answered, and then they came back with two chairs from the kitchen and a pillow. He rolled his eyes as Sam eased him down into one of the chairs, and Dean gently lifted his hurt leg and settled it on the second chair, putting the pillow under his knee.

"Boys, I think it's time for a break anyway," Bobby said, carefully stepping off of the ladder. "Go get some more chairs and I'll get some drinks."

Everyone left the room, but his brothers came back with more chairs, and then Bobby, Rufus, and Mills came back with drinks. He frowned when he was handed a glass of orange juice while everyone else was drinking beer. "Seriously? I thought getting up and walking around would at least earn me a beer…"

"The vitamin C will do you good," Mills said. "You can have a beer once you lose the crutches. And you're not losing the crutches for a long time, just so you know."

"Don't you have a job to get back to?" Alec asked sourly. He and Mills spent a lot of time together, and he liked the guy, but it was annoying to be told what he could and couldn't eat. He knew Mills could take his sour moods anyway since he definitely wasn't always in a good mood, and he usually lashed out at Mills since he didn't want his brothers to leave again. He wanted to make sure they knew he appreciated their help and he wasn't going to tell them to go away again.

"Kid, I'm retired," Mills easily shot back. He smirked; this was why he liked Mills, he could dish it out just as well as he could take it. "You're the only patient I have left."

"Luckily for me, I'm just about recovered," Alec said.

"Like Hell you are," Dean said at the same time Sam said, "Alec, there's no way that's true."

"I'm kidding," Alec said.

Dean reached over and messed up his hair again. He smiled, feeling better than he had in days.

* * *

"C'mon Alec," Dean said, shaking his little brother's shoulder to get him to wake up. "Mills said now that you're using the crutches, you've gotta work, so you gotta get up."

Alec batted his hand away and turned slightly to get away from him. "'M tired…" Alec slurred in his sleep. "Just did a workout…"

"Alec that was four hours ago," Dean said. "Mills said to only let you have a two hour nap, and I let you sleep for four."

"Five more minutes…" Alec mumbled.

"No," Dean said, pulled the covers off of Alec. He really wished Mills hadn't left now, but the man needed a break. It was a lot of work doing physical therapy with Alec, especially when he didn't want to do it. Alec had gotten pretty good at the crutches, and Mills had decided it was time to start working with his knee to try to get him walking again at some point, but Alec didn't actually like the therapy since it wasn't very comfortable and it wore him out. But he refused to be the reason Alec never walked again. He would do what it took to get Alec back to 100%.

Alec groaned, and turned to glare at him. "I just want to sleep."

"You can sleep again after we do some physical therapy," Dean bargained. Alec still glared at him, so he tacked on, "And I'll make you a milkshake."

"Fine," Alec grumbled, slowly sitting up. Alec winced at the twinge of pain, but he let his little brother sit up by himself. Mills had told him and Sam that it was time to back off a little, to give Alec some space to do things by himself. They could stay nearby, but if he was trying to get up or was using the crutches, then they needed to let him do it. It was still hard though, to watch Alec push through the pain by himself, and he couldn't help but put a comforting hard against Alec's shoulder when he started to get up.

"Let's try walking," Dean suggested, even though he wasn't sure Alec's leg was ready for any weight yet. He should probably ask Mills what he thought, but his instinct was telling him that it was time to get Alec on his feet. He knew his brother, and he knew it was killing him to just lay around. He needed to feel like he was useful and that he was still making progress. The crutches were a big step, but now he needed another step.

"What?" Alec asked with a frown.

"I said, let's try walking," Dean said slowly.

Alec's eyebrows rose in surprise, "That's what Mills said we needed to do? Sleep a few hours, and then start walking? Without him even here? That doesn't sound like Mills…"

"You wanna walk or not?" Dean shot back. Alec took a deep breath and dropped his head as he shrugged. That wasn't right…Alec should be itching to walk, to try to prove that he was ok like he did with the crutches. "Hey," Dean said softly. "If you don't want to, we can just do the stretches that Mills showed us, and then you can go back to sleep. It was stupid to suggest it, especially without Mills here."

"Dean…what if I can't walk?" Alec asked, his eyes darting back to his before he looked away again. "What…what am I gonna do? I can't hunt if I can't walk, and if I can't hunt…then…do I even belong here? Do I have any use?"

He sat down next to his little brother and said, "So what? So what if you can't walk." He saw Alec's confused gaze out of the corner of his eyes, but he spoke before Alec could. "Do you really think that changes the fact that you're mine and Sam's little brother? What if it was me?" Dean asked. "What if I was in your place right now, and I might not be able to walk? Would that mean I'm not your big brother anymore?"

"No," Alec quickly denied. "You're always gonna be my big brother."

"So why would it be any different with you?" Dean asked.

"But what am I gonna do?" Alec asked brokenly. "I can't just sit around…I'll go stir crazy if I can't do anything…"

"You know what you're doin' right now?" Dean asked. Alec looked over at him, silently asking him what he thought he was doing. "You're makin' yourself sick thinking about something that you don't even know the answer to yet," Dean said. "And even if your leg can't take any weight yet, that doesn't mean it won't take some weight at some point. It takes a while to recover from major injuries, and you moved to the crutches faster than I thought you would, so that's gotta be a good sign, right?"

"I guess so…" Alec said quietly.

"Either way, you're my family, you're Sam's family, you're a Winchester," Dean stated. "And nothing's gonna change that."

Alec gave him a small smile and nodded, "Yeah, alright."

"So, you wanna try walking?" Dean asked. "It wouldn't be very far, you'd be leaning on me the whole time, and you just put as much weight as you can handle on your leg, ok? It doesn't have to be anything major, just a couple of steps."

Alec nodded again, and then smacked his arm with the back of his hand and said, "Better help me up then if I'm not using the crutches." He stood up again and carefully pulled Alec to his feet. His brother swayed and blinked a few times to get the room back into focus, but then he opened his eyes again and looked up at him. "I'm good," Alec said. "I just needed a second…"

"Ok, lean on me," Dean said, wrapping his arm around Alec's back and pulling his little brother's arm over his shoulders. Alec leaned against him and barely put some weight on his right leg. He felt Alec's breath hitch as his leg protested the weight. "You still ok?" Dean asked. "We can stop if you want to. If it hurts too much, then just let me know."

Alec nodded, "I'm good. Hurts a little, but I think I can take a few steps…"

"Ok," Dean said. "Just a few steps though, nothing too major."

Alec carefully took a slow step forward, and smiled when he managed to keep his leg under him. His leg was still in a brace, and would probably stay that way for a long time still, but this definitely made both of them feel better. He wasn't lying when he told Alec that he was his little brother no matter what, but if he couldn't walk, then that was on him. He would've been the one responsible for crippling his little brother and that would have haunted him for the rest of his life.

Alec managed to take a few steps forward with his help before he wore out. "I gotta sit down again," Alec said, his voice weak. He wanted to just pick Alec up and carry him back to bed, but he knew that was a last resort, only if Alec started to lose consciousness. Instead, he took on more of Alec's weight and carefully helped him back to bed.

Alec looked like he was a second away from falling asleep, but he still looked over at him with a small smile. "That was good, right?" Alec asked.

"Yeah Alec, that was great," Dean said. "Go back to sleep, alright? You can walk some more when you've slept some."

Alec nodded and snuggled down on his pillow. He pulled the covers up and waited until Alec's breathing evened out in sleep, and then went to the sofa and stretched out. He was giving Alec more space, but there was still only so much he could stand to do. He'd moved from sleeping next to Alec, to just sleeping on the sofa instead. He'd go back to a real bed once Alec went back to a real bed. Until then, he'd keep sleeping on the sofa.

* * *

"Hey, I've been looking for you two forever," Sam said, finally finding his brothers outside. Alec was sitting in a ratty old office chair with his leg propped up on a cooler and his crutches laying next to him, while he could only see Dean's legs sticking out from under the Impala. They had fixed up Bobby's house, but now Dean had to fix the Impala again.

"Did you bring us food?" Alec asked hopefully.

He rolled his eyes and handed Alec the sandwich that Bobby had made, and then kicked Dean's foot. "Hey, I've got food," Sam said.

Dean rolled out from under the Impala with a huge smile on his face, "Sammy, you're awesome!"

He handed Dean his sandwich, and then moved Alec's foot from the cooler and grabbed two beers and a water before he sat down on the closed lid and settled Alec's foot in his lap instead. He passed a beer to Dean, and the water to Alec even though his little brother scowled at him. "Don't give me that look," Sam said with a smirk. "Once you're off the crutches, then you can have a beer."

"Yeah, and once I'm off the crutches, then you'll push it back again," Alec grumbled under his breath.

Dean kicked Alec's good foot and gave his brother a wink. "Dean, you better not go behind everyone's backs again and let Alec do whatever he wants like you did with the walking," Sam said.

"It was just a few steps, Sam," Dean said. "Mills decided it was ok. I don't know what one beer's gonna hurt."

"He's still on high doses of painkillers," Sam said. "Mixing painkillers and alcohol is a bad idea."

"Yeah, 'cause we _never_ do that," Dean said sarcastically. "And it's not like his metabolism won't just burn through it almost immediately."

"If you two are gonna argue, do it over something besides me," Alec said before he could say anything. "I'll drink a beer once I'm off the painkillers and I won't walk anymore if Mills isn't around. Can we just eat?"

He and Dean both nodded, and they ate in silence for a few minutes. Alec hated it when they argued, and sometimes he would call them on it, and sometimes he would scamper off and disappear for a while. Since his leg was hurt though, he wasn't able to disappear when he wanted to.

"And I think you gave me Dean's sandwich," Alec muttered. "There's onions on this…"

"I thought mine was a little bland," Dean grumbled, reaching over and grabbing the sandwich in Alec's hands and replacing it with his.

"So…when are we leaving?" Alec asked. His little brother was going for casual, but somehow he knew this was an important question.

"We're not leaving for a while still," Sam said.

"Why?" Alec asked. "We traveled still when your leg was broken…I'm off all the machines and just down to taking pills for the pain…so, why are we waiting?"

"For one, the Impala's still broken," Dean said.

"I know that's not the real reason…so what is it?" Alec prodded.

"Can't we just have normal for a while?" Dean asked back. "Can't we just be brothers for a while and hang around Bobby's, drive the old man nuts, take some country drives…I just think we need a break for a little while."

"And it's more comfortable here," Sam added. "We each have our own beds, home cooked meals, space to move around. It's nice to just stay in one spot, especially since this feels like home."

"So, it's not because Mills is around and you're freaked out that something's still gonna happen to me?" Alec guessed.

He and Dean shared a look, and then Dean said, "Alec, it was so close…We're just now able to leave you alone in a room for a while, but even then we're still nearby in case you need one of us. I can't shake the feeling that something's still gonna happen to you, and we can't lose you."

"We just need some more time to just relax and recover," Sam said. "We'll get back to hunting once you can hunt with us."

"Remember when we got sick on that hunt?" Dean asked when Alec didn't say anything.

"Well, yeah, it wasn't that long ago," Alec said.

"The whole time me and Sam were hunting, we were worried about you, and I know you were worried about us," Dean said. "You passed out when we got back and we weren't focused on the hunt. It's too dangerous for us to hunt when we're not all together. So, we're not hunting until you're hunting with us and we're not budging on this."

Alec slowly nodded, but then smiled a little and said, "I guess this means I should probably move upstairs to a real bed pretty soon…"

Dean laughed, "I don't know…I think it's funny when Bobby stubs his toe on your bed every morning."

"It's not funny!" Alec argued. "I wake up every morning because he knocks into my bed. Scares the shit outta me every time."

"We can move you upstairs if you want," Sam said, trying to hold off his laughter. "We'll just have to kick Rufus out because I'm pretty sure he's taken over your room…"

Alec groaned dramatically and said, "Never mind…I think I wanna keep my bed downstairs."

He and Dean both laughed. They were going to be ok. Alec was going to heal and they would eventually get back on the road, but they would take some needed time off before that and just be a family.

* * *

 _More soon...Next chapter will be the last for this story!_


	23. Chapter 23

_So, this is it for this story. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited, it really means a lot to me! I hope you all like this story, and really this whole series. I have one more story planned for this series, and then that will be it, so keep a look out. Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy the ending!_

* * *

His lungs were burning, he was starting to feel a little lightheaded, and his leg was hurting to the point where he was limping pretty badly again. Sam automatically slowed down, knowing he was wearing down. His brother glanced over at him, and immediately grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop.

"Alec, I told you to tell me if it started hurting," Sam said.

His brother tried to get him to sit down, but he tried to push his hand away and forced out, "I just need a minute…I'm fine…"

"No, Alec, c'mon, just sit down," Sam urged.

"On the ground?...I don't think so," Alec muttered. They were running on a gravel road and he wasn't about to get dirt all over his clothes and broadcast it to everyone that he'd pushed too far again. Dean would throw a fit if he found out and wouldn't spar with him later. "I just need to catch my breath…that's all…"

He swayed though, and Sam's hands were the only thing keeping him steady. He groaned when Sam successfully got him to the ground and he cursed his stupid, weak body for betraying him again. "Slower and deeper breaths, Alec," Sam said. "I'll keep you sitting up as long as you get your breathing to slow down."

"This is so stupid," Alec grumbled. "I can't even run a mile…"

"Do you want to hear the same thing I've told you over and over again?" Sam teased. He glared at his brother, who said, "The fact that you can run at all is huge, Alec. You just started walking a week ago and Mills thought it was going to take months to get you here. You're not weak or pathetic or whatever else is going on in your head right now. You don't have to be-"

"A super-soldier, I know," Alec said. Every time he started to feel like he was failing, his brothers would give him a speech just like this one, telling him that he was doing great and he didn't have to be back to 100% right away. "It's just…I'd already-"

"Be back on missions at Manticore," Sam cut in, knowing his side of the speech just as well as he knew his brother's. "You're not at Manticore though, and-"

"We don't want you to push yourself too hard," Alec finished.

"Ok, so you know the whole speech," Sam muttered, sitting down next to him. "I'd think since you know the whole thing, you'd actually listen to us and get it through your thick head that you need to slow down."

"Sam, this is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do," Alec said honestly. "The only other time I've had to go through this kind of recovery was with my collarbone, but I really didn't care if I got better or not then. That's the only other time I've really had to recover. I've been shot and hurt pretty badly before, but I don't know, this one's been the worst…"

"Alec, at Manticore they had transgenic blood to give you," Sam reasoned. "And your blood can do amazing things, but we mixed your blood with Dean's blood, and you said it yourself, ordinary blood messes with your system. We're lucky you even pulled through. But, I get it, you're used to bouncing back faster than this and now you have to go slow and it's torture." Sam stopped and looked over at him before he said, "But you've gotta go slower. You can't keep pushing because at some point, you're just gonna hurt yourself more. And guess what, Alec, that's going to make it an even longer recovery."

"I can't just flip a switch and accept that this is going to take a while," Alec said. "It took me two years to accept that you guys are my family, and I'm still having problems with it. I've tried to accept that you guys aren't going anywhere, and that it's going to take a while to recover, but I'm not programmed that way. Things in my life don't work like this. I'm supposed to be in a cage, waiting for orders, trying my hardest to get someone's approval, not hanging out with my brothers who care what happens to me, and will fight to keep me safe. So…I don't know…I guess I'll just need to hear the speech a few more times before I get it."

Sam looped his arms around his shoulders and pulled him into a side-hug. "Well, good thing I'm stickin' around so I can keep giving you that speech."

He chuckled, "Good, I'm counting on it."

"You want me to call Dean to come pick us up?" Sam asked.

"Nah," Alec waved off. "Just help me up and we can walk back."

He saw Sam's look of uncertainty, but his brother stood up and pulled him to his feet. But he took one step and knew his knee was hurting too much to walk back. "I'm calling Dean," Sam said. "Maybe we can go get some burgers or something while he's out, pretend that we just got hungry and decided this was a good place to stop."

"Sam," Alec whined. "I can make it back."

"Fine," Sam said. "If you can walk four steps without limping, then I won't call Dean."

"Mills said I'd have a limp for a while even after my leg's completely healed," Alec pointed out.

"But your leg isn't completely healed," Sam said with a smug smirk. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and he lunged to knock it away, but his brother was ready for him and he wasn't at the top of his game yet. Sam easily held him back with one arm as he dialed Dean's number with his other hand.

"Yeah?" Dean asked on the other end. His voice sounded small from the phone, but he could still hear him.

"Me and Alec are hungry," Sam said. "You want some food?"

There was silence on the other end, and then Dean asked, "He ok?"

Sam sighed, "He's right here, so he can hear you."

"I figured," Dean said. "Alec, slow your ass down." He ducked his head and smiled; only Dean could sound gruff and concerned at the same time. "Where are you guys?" Dean asked.

"Gravel road a little over a mile from Bobby's," Sam said.

Dean gave an impressed whistle on the other end and said, "You guys made it further than I thought…"

Sam pushed him over slightly, "Yeah, well, _someone_ decided to push farther than we'd agreed on."

Dean chuckled, "Tell Alec that he's still not getting a burger if we go to town."

"What?!" Alec instantly complained. "I'm eating solid foods now! I should be allowed to eat a burger!"

Sam waved for him to be quiet, "You can have a milkshake and the least greasy thing we can find on the menu." He waited for a second for him to argue, but he was ok since he was still getting a milkshake. Sam gave him another look before he went back to talking to Dean, "He agreed, so you can come get us."

He rolled his eyes, but smiled when Sam tried to push him over again. Maybe he could still convince his brothers that he could stomach a burger. It wasn't very likely, but at least he was going to get a milkshake.

* * *

"He's pretty worn out. He almost ran a mile today before he ran outta gas, so I don't know if he's gonna wake up right away or not," Dean said. His brother's voice was muffled since he was still mostly asleep, and he couldn't figure out who Dean was talking to. Sam already knew how far he ran today since he was the one who went on runs with him, Bobby and Rufus only wanted to make sure he was getting enough to eat and getting enough sleep, and Mills already knew pretty much everything medical about him, so who could he be talking to? "He might wake up for a minute, but don't get offended if he falls asleep a few minutes later, ok? He's doin' a lot better than he was a few weeks ago," Dean continued.

"Why's he still in the hospital bed?"

He fought off sleep because he knew that voice and he needed to see with his own eyes before he believed it. But he almost ran a mile today and wanting to be awake and actually being completely awake were two different things.

"Rufus is still here," Dean said. "And he's staying in Alec's room, so he's agreed to stay in the hospital bed." A tired smile lifted his lips; that was what he'd told Sam and Dean, but his brothers knew he was too tired by the end of the day to even attempt to climb the stairs.

"It's pretty much just his knee that's hurt now, right?"

They weren't in the living room yet, and he wished they would hurry up and get in here so he had more incentive to actually wake up, but he could still hear what they were saying and they were less muffled so he was slowly waking up. He just wanted to hurry up and get it done.

"Yeah, but he's mostly off the crutches now. He just needs them after the therapy or after one of his runs," Dean said. "He's still going to have a limp for a while, but Mills thinks he's gonna make a full recovery."

"Who's Mills again?"

"A friend of Bobby's. He lives down the road, but he's lived here for the past month to keep an eye on Alec," Dean said. His brother's voice was closer now, so if he could just open his eyes, then he would be able to see them. His eyes just weren't cooperating. His brother's hand gently shook his shoulder as he said, "Alec, you wanna wake up? Someone's here to see you."

He already knew that, and yes, he did want to wake up, he just couldn't yet.

"Hey Alec," Max whispered, her voice suddenly very close to him. Her hair tickled his cheek, making him smile.

"Hey Maxie…" Alec breathed out.

Max kissed his cheek and then said, "Scoot over, would ya? It was a long drive and I'm beat."

"So bossy…" he mumbled, but he did scoot over. Max got into bed next to him, perfectly fitting against his side.

"This ok?" Max asked softly. "It doesn't hurt, right?"

"'M good…"

"Go back to sleep," Max whispered, kissing his cheek again before she rested her head on his chest.

* * *

Thankfully, Max wasn't just one of his morphine induced dreams. When he woke up again, she was still there, snuggled against his side with her head resting on his chest. He breathed out in relief, but regretted it as soon as Max stirred. She must have felt his change in breathing and thought he needed something.

"Hey," Max said once she saw he was awake. "How're you feeling?"

He chuckled, "Max, I haven't been on death's door for a month now, I'm good."

"But is your knee hurting? Dean said your ran yesterday…" Max said.

"Yeah, but I'm up to running now. I hardly even use the crutches anymore," Alec said. "We'll probably get to go on hunts again pretty soon…well, except Sam and Dean are the biggest worry warts of the century, so maybe not soon, but in another month or so…Actually, I'm probably never going to hunt again, knowing them."

"They're just worried," Max defended. "And I like that they worry. It makes it easier for me to run Freak Valley knowing that you have two brothers looking out for you."

"Speaking of…how's the food supply?" Alec asked. He'd been worried ever since Max told him they were running low. There were a lot of Transgenics to feed, and it took a lot of manpower to steal the food they needed. He felt like he should be there helping, but he wasn't going to leave his brothers. And, he wasn't sure he could go back there. Too much happened because of him, Link died because of him, and he wasn't ready to relive that. He wasn't even close to being over it yet, so he needed to steer clear of the Valley for a while.

"Still not great," Max admitted. "We might have to move if we can't find anything. We might need to move anyway since people are starting to figure out what's going on, but it won't happen for a few months still if it does at all."

"Where would you move?" Alec asked.

"I don't know," Max replied. "We need a place that's big enough for us, but that's not too far from the city so we can steal food…I don't know…"

"How 'bout I keep an eye out while we're hunting?" Alec suggested. He couldn't go back to the Valley to help his friends, but he could be a scout of some sort and find them a new place to live. That way he was still technically helping without needing to be there.

"That would be great," Max said with a smile. "Just remember, we don't need it right away. We might not even need it at all, but I'd rather have a backup plan just in case."

He nodded in agreement, but then said, "So that means, this is a short trip."

Max took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, Alec, I want to stay, but-"

"Max, it's ok," Alec cut off. "I don't need you to hold my hand while I go through physical therapy. I've already got two brothers who are happy to do that, and actually, they probably wouldn't let you hold my hand while I was doing my therapy. They're very serious about therapy even though I'm pretty sure they would refuse to do the therapy if they were the ones who were hurt."

"You know…you can come back with me," Max whispered.

"Max…"

"I know you're still dealing with what happened last time, but I can help," Max said. "And no one blames you for what happened. Everyone knows you're the reason White's dead and-"

"Max, I can't," Alec said. "I can't go back there. Not yet, and maybe not ever. It took a long time to just be able to get up in the morning without wanting to die."

"Alec-"

"No Max. I'm not going back," Alec stated. "Besides, I'm staying with my brothers. They might not need me, but I need them. I'd be dead right now if it wasn't for them. I wanted to die after what happened, but Sam and Dean wouldn't let me die. I held on for them because I didn't want to disappoint them, or hurt them. They're my family, and I love you Max, but I'm staying with them until they don't want me around anymore."

"I'm sorry, Alec, I knew you wanted to stay with your brothers, but I had to try. I miss you," Max said.

"I miss you too," Alec said.

Max was quiet for a few minutes before she suggested, "You wanna watch TV for a while and lay around? I haven't had a day off in forever…"

He chuckled, "You know I've been stuck in bed for a long time…"

"Well, I want to watch TV," Max said, reaching for the remote.

"You don't even like watching TV," Alec accused. "You always said I watched too much of it."

"Alec, shut up and watch TV with me," Max said, a smile in her voice.

"Yes ma'am," Alec teased.

Max barely hit his side in annoyance, "Don't call me ma'am."

"Ok Maxie," Alec whispered, kissing the top of Max's head.

* * *

"This feels weird…" Alec muttered, standing frozen on the porch.

"Do you want to stay a few more days?" Dean asked gently. "Because we can if you want to." Alec seemed nervous to be leaving, even though he expected his little brother to be packing his bags for him once he said they were going to head out.

"No…I don't know," Alec whispered. His little brother shifted his weight so he was standing more on his left leg than his right. He knew Alec wasn't ready to hunt yet, but he figured they could hit the road and get back into their normal routine. It would take a while to get into the swing of things, and then they could ease back into hunting.

"Alec, we don't have to go if you don't want to," Dean said again.

"It just feels weird to be leaving…" Alec said. "How long have we been here?"

"A little over two months now," Dean answered.

"Dean…I'm not ready to hunt yet," Alec said, panic starting to show in his voice. "I don't want you or Sam to get hurt because you're relying on me and I can't do it. I'm better, but I'm not back yet and I know that."

"Alec, we're not leaving because I think you're ready to hunt," Dean soothed. "I thought we could travel a little, see some sights, and let you heal up a little more. Plus, if I remember right, I promised you a trip to the Grand Canyon."

A smile finally lit up Alec's face, "We're going?"

"Yeah we're going," Dean said, barely pushing Alec over a little. "You really think I'm gonna let you hunt when you're barely back on your feet?"

Alec shrugged, "I thought that's why we were leaving."

He chuckled, "You have so much to learn, little brother."

"But you're gonna stick around to teach me, right?" Alec asked, looking away from him again.

He took a deep breath and moved so he was in front of his little brother. "Alec, I don't know how many times I have to tell you this, but we're a family, we're brothers, which means I'm not goin' anywhere."

Alec nodded, "Sorry…I just…I need to hear it every once in a while. I'm messed up, I know, but it just helps to hear it."

He ruffled Alec's hair before he patted his shoulder, "I'll tell you every time you need to hear it."

"Hey, are we ready?" Sam asked, running up to them after throwing their bags in the trunk.

"Yeah, we're just enjoying the view one last time," Dean said, looping his arm over Alec's shoulders. His little brother leaned against him instead of pulling away, and he knew even though Alec put on a tough act, he needed the contact. It was like him needing to hear that he was going to stick around; he needed the contact to know for sure that he was safe and protected.

"Bobby's throwing a fit inside," Sam said. "He wants to know what he's supposed to do with a hospital bed now that we don't need it anymore."

"Did you tell him that he's getting up in the years and will probably need it soon?" Alec asked innocently.

He and Sam both laughed, and then Sam said, "You're lucky you're the youngest and you've been bedridden forever because otherwise I would tell Bobby what you just said, and then he'd really have a use for that bed."

"I'm not scared of him," Alec stated.

"Besides, have you seen the way Bobby treats him?" Dean asked. "It's like Bobby finally found his long lost son and now he's gonna spoil him forever so he never leaves. There's no point telling him what Alec said, because he would just brush it off, or worse, he'd actually find it funny."

"I'm hilarious and you know it," Alec said.

"Well yeah," Dean said like it was obvious. "You have my DNA, of course you're hilarious."

"I don't think either of you are funny," Sam said, but he was trying to fight off a smile.

He and Alec both started arguing with their brother, both trying to convince him that they could make him laugh. He didn't even notice they had an audience until Bobby chuckled and Rufus actually laughed at something Alec said. He hadn't even heard what Alec said since he was too busy making his own point.

The three of them fell silent though, since they now knew they weren't alone.

"So, you boys ready to head out?" Bobby asked to break the silence.

"Just about," Dean said, shooting a look over to Alec. His little brother nodded back to him to say that he was ready.

Mills suddenly stepped through the open door, holding a bag in his hands. "I rounded up all the painkillers, antibiotics, morphine, and even some extra braces I had lying around. You boys definitely need it more than I do."

"Thanks Mills," Dean said, gratefully taking the bag.

Mills gave him a nod before he turned to Alec and said, "If you want to lose the limp, you _have_ to do the physical therapy. Sam and Dean both know the exercises, but you have to listen to them and you can't try to get out of doing it just because it's uncomfortable or embarrassing or weak or whatever else you've come up with. You're still recovering, and you know this won't happen overnight."

Alec rolled his eyes, but then nodded and said, "Thanks Mills."

Mills smiled, "Hopefully next time I see you, you're all in one piece."

"No promises," Alec said with a smirk.

"Boy, you better promise," Bobby growled. "You drag your ass in here like that again, you're gonna have some serious problems. I don't want to see you that hurt ever again, you hear me?"

"Yes sir," Alec instantly responded.

Bobby's face softened, "Just be more careful. There's more than one person who cares if you live or die, and none of us like seein' you hurt." Alec kept his head down as he nodded, but he looked up in surprise when Bobby suddenly pulled him into a hug. "Be careful, ya idjit."

"I promise, I'll be more careful," Alec said once he was released.

"Ah Bobby, you big ole' softie," Dean teased.

"You shut it, or you'll be next," Bobby warned.

He held his hands up to ward off any hugs and said, "I'm good."

"We better hit the road," Sam said before they could keep arguing. "We've got a long way to go before our first stop."

"If Alec's leg is hurtin' you better pull over," Rufus growled.

"Jeez, it's like they think I can't take care of my own little brother," Dean grumbled.

"They're just worried old men," Sam teased.

He laughed and nodded in agreement before he gently grabbed Alec's arm and steered him towards the steps. "C'mon, we better go before they find some reason to make us stay. Don't want to be stuck in the retirement home forever…"

"Boy, you're lucky you've got your little brother with you or I'd smack you," Bobby threatened.

"You wouldn't be able to catch me," Dean said. He pulled Alec along and said, "Better say goodbye. It'll be a while before we come back. Gotta let his temper simmer down and all that."

Alec chuckled and turned to wave at Bobby, Rufus, and Mills. They'd already said their goodbyes earlier, and he didn't want anymore hugs.

"Thanks again, for everything," Sam said behind him.

"Get goin'," Bobby teased. "Doesn't look like your brothers are gonna wait for you."

Sam laughed, and then ran up to Alec's other side. "So, where to first?" Sam asked, looping his arm over Alec's shoulders. Hopefully Alec didn't mind the extra attention for a while still; they were both freaked out that they were going to lose him, but it was starting to get better.

"I made a promise that we'd see the Grand Canyon," Dean said, looking over at his brothers.

Sam and Alec both smiled, and Sam said, "Then it looks like we're heading to the Grand Canyon."

"It's a long trip, so if your knee starts hurting, you better let us know," Dean warned his youngest brother.

Alec rolled his eyes and grumbled, "Yes mom…"

He and Sam both laughed as the three of them got into the Impala. They were going to be ok. They were a family, and they were sticking together no matter what.

* * *

 _The End._


End file.
